Tales of Remnant: Summer
by Ar3mRising
Summary: It's summer break of Team SHDE's first year at Beacon Academy. Rather than relaxing, Roy, Ebony, Hunter, and Dahlia are taking on their next big challenge: Summer courses. A two month long away mission to the town of Ulmsted. This is a little side story I wrote while I write the next chunk of TOR Spring. I hope you enjoy! I don't own RWBY. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth. For Monty.
1. Prologue

"Come dear reader and you will hear, the tale, the tale of a forgotten year. Come dear reader and I will tell, a tale, a tale I know so well. The stage is set, the players chosen and the act is about to begin...:"

_-E. G. Honermann._

"It is often said in Mistral, that it is nearly impossible to tell what season it is at any given time without looking at a calendar. The country's rural climate seems to defy winter, chasing away cold to stay warm almost all year round. But ask anyone who's lived there long enough and they would tell you that, like a card player, the country has its tells. When spring rolls around, the numerous cherry trees that dot the countryside put forth their beautiful pink blossoms. It rains more frequently, but the rain is warm and the storms always give way to cool days. As summer starts, the rains drop off slightly as the heat rises. These are the days when you find the majority of the populace indoors with an ice tea and the dust powered cooling units on full blast. Fall steals in like a bandit, bringing a slight drop in temperature as the trees shed their leaves and winter follows in with a rise in cloudy days and cold rain falls. That's why I love it here in this little cabin; being surrounded by trees like this is very helpful in telling the seasons. As you can see, most of the trees around here are starting to turn orange; which means that it will be fall soon. This in turn, means that the Mistrali festival is going to begin soon."

Shiroi Arashi smiled to himself as he listened to his mother explain Mistrali weather to him. He was sitting in the kitchen of her home, several miles from the city of Mistral as the sun set on a fine summer day.

"The Mistrali people sure seem to love their festivals," he remarked, glancing out the window at the pink late evening sky.

"Oh, for sure," his mother Sharon replied. "There are four festivals in total; one to mark the start of each season. I've been to each festival, but they kinda lose their fun when you're by yourself."

She was smiling when she said this, but her smile couldn't fully hide the lonely look in her eyes. Roy knew that, deep down, she was longing for the company of his father; Oban Arashi.

Sharon sighed quietly. "Anyway, enough about me, I want to hear more about you. You've been here for several weeks, and I still feel like there's so much you haven't told me."

Roy shrugged, "I've told you about my team, the school dance, and my journey to get here. I was going to tell you more, but then Haven was attacked..."

The black haired faunus fell silent as his mind traveled back over the previous week's events. The defense of Haven Academy had been a particularly tough fight and even though Qrow Branwen's team had been successful in defending the school, Roy had taken the life of a fellow faunus in the process.

Sharon's eyes softened as she bent over the cast iron skillet full chicken she was cooking. She knew how heavily the death still weighed on Roy's conscience and she'd done her best to help him move past it. Mainly by keeping him busy through chores around the house or by keeping up their training. But there were only so many things to do around the small cottage and there were only so many things she could teach him.

"Well, now's your chance to tell me more," she said brightly, attempting to steer her son's mind away from the painful memories.

"I do have one story I could tell... it's a long one though."

Sharon smiled, as she realized her ploy had worked. "Well consider my interest peaked. I've always enjoyed long stories. What's it about?"

She poured a ladle full of homemade orange sauce over the chicken. As the sauce hit the pan, the chicken sizzled deliciously and a wonderful aroma filled the kitchen. Sharon kept her eyes on the pot as she stirred the food with a large spoon, twisting her faunus ears to the side as to better hear her son.

Roy's ears twitched as the chicken gave another loud sizzle. "It's about the time my team and I were sent out on an away mission during the summer of our first year."

His mother turned around to give him her full attention. "Your father always talked about his first away mission. I can't wait to hear about yours!" she said excitedly.

Roy shifted in his seat as a knot of uncertainty settled in the pit of his stomach and he became reluctant. "I don't know," he said tentatively, "It's not really something I want to talk about."

Setting her mixing spoon on the counter, Sharon walked over and gently cupped her son's cheek.

"Usually when you don't want to talk about something, it probably means you should," she said with a reassuring smile.

Roy offered a small smile back, "I guess you're right."

He settled back in his chair and started to play with the small lit candle in the center of the table, running his fingertips quickly through the flame to avoid burns.

"I don't like to name my stories." he began, "I don't want them to ever be viewed as something that I might have made up. All my stories happened exactly as I tell them."

He grinned to himself, the flickering flame reflecting in his eye, "Although, if I had to name this story, I would call it 'A Major Field Trip"


	2. Chapter 1: A Major Field Trip

The warm summer sun shone brightly down on Beacon Academy, casting the old school in a bright, joyful light. The school grounds were quiet, all of Beacon's students having returned to their families to enjoy their several months of free time between semesters. Well, almost all of the students. A faithful observer with a good set of ears would've heard the excited voices of Team SHDE echoing through the hallways of the dorm building. Rather than returning to their families, the team had all decided to sign up for summer courses.

Roy, the dark haired, eyepatch wearing faunus, was staying because he actually didn't know where either of his parents were. His mother had vanished to parts unknown awhile back and his father was somewhere in the vast deserts of Vacuo.

Ebony, The slender, cat-tailed faunus, was staying because she and her family had not been on the best of terms since her decision to join the radical faunus rights movement; The White Fang.

Hunter, the tallest team member, wasn't too keen on going back home for the summer. His overbearing father disapproved of his current relationship and was always trying to force him into an arranged marriage with one rich heiress or another.

Dahlia, Hunter's girlfriend, had simply wanted to be where Hunter was. Once he'd announced his desire to stay, she had agreed to stay as well in a heartbeat.

So it was that they all came to be walking back to their dorm room on the first day of a golden summer. The light of the setting sun shone through several of the dorm building's windows, casting lovely shadow patterns across the walls and floors. Roy walked with a new spring in his step that hadn't been there before that morning. Team SHDE had just been assigned their first away mission which would make up the majority of the summer course and he couldn't be more excited.

Students who took the course would be sent out to work with an active huntsman for three months. Roy's insides were a mass of butterflies; what a wonderful opportunity to build up their team dynamic and combat experience! His high-flying imagination was brought back down to earth as he heard Ebony laugh softly behind him.

"What?" he asked, turning to face her.

Ebony smiled brightly at him as she answered, "Nothing, it's just that this is the happiest I've seen you since you received your acceptance letter from Beacon."

Roy grinned sheepishly, "I'm just excited is all. We get to go out and be actual huntsmen and huntresses for three whole months! I can't wait!"

Ebony nodded, "I must admit, I'm quite excited myself."

Roy heard a series of whispers coming from behind him and turned to see Hunter and Dahlia with their heads together, talking excitedly in hushed tones.

"You guys excited too?" he asked.

Dahlia nodded vigorously, "We'd have to be crazy not to be! A chance to go out and get a taste of the future? Sign us up!"

Hunter gave Roy a silent thumbs up from behind Dahlia, but the smile on his face spoke volumes.

The four of them finally reached their dorm room and Roy held the door for the rest of his team before sliding inside, shutting the door firmly behind him. The team immediately set about packing, sliding backpacks and bags from various nooks and crannies around the room. Roy's sole piece of luggage was a large dark blue backpack that Sierra had given him. He'd never removed the luggage tag from Atlas, deciding to keep it as a souvenir.

"What exactly should we pack?" Dahlia asked, plunking her dark green sports bag on the bed. "I've never been on an away mission before."

Ebony turned away from her gray suitcase and thought about the question, "Neither have I, but I'd say two weeks' worth of clothes, toiletries, a sleeping bag, ammunition and some snacks should do the trick."

Dahlia pointed at Ebony, "Great list," she said as she began to hunt around the room for the listed items.

Roy looked quizzically at Ebony, "Why only two weeks of clothes?" he asked.

"We wear one week of clothing and then wash that week's clothing during the second week," the raven haired faunus explained.

"That makes sense." Roy muttered as he went back to packing. "Remember team!" he said, tossing another pair of socks toward his bag, "We should get to bed right after we finish packing. We have to get up bright and early tomorrow to catch the airship at 6:00."

A small grumble echoed around the room causing Roy to smile to himself, "I know, I know but the sooner we leave, the sooner we get there."

The grumbling died down and was replaced by an aura of excitement as the team returned to their packing. Ebony walked over to Roy clutching a pair of blue woolen mittens. "Should we pack winter things?"

Roy pulled his scroll and pulled up the mission info, "Well, we're gonna be going north and high into the mountains, so I would say so."

Ebony nodded and walked back over to her suitcase. Roy dug through a drawer to find his own gloves as well as his hat. The gloves were fingerless and the same black as the hat. Roy didn't like wearing the hat as it squashed his ears, but he knew it was better to be warm with a slight discomfort, than cold and be completely miserable.

His clothes all packed, Roy started to sort through his ammunition. When he'd stolen his sword; Black Orchid, it had only been able to take pure powdered dust loaded by hand. Roy had taken the blueprints he'd stolen and used them to alter the sword so that it could take regulation dust cartridges. He was quite proud of his craftsmanship and it made the sword immensely easier to load. He packed as many rounds as he could fit, as well as his sharpening kit.

"What is everyone feeling for snacks?" Dahlia asked.

Roy turned around to address his teammate, "What do we have?"

Dahlia held up each option as she listed them off, "Trail mix, jerky, protein bars, crackers and cheese."

"No to the jerky," Ebony said from her side of the room, "Too much salt and when you're short on water, salt is the last thing you want to eat. Which reminds me, everyone make sure your canteens are filled and packed."

Dahlia tossed the jerky behind her in a comedic manner, "Okay, no jerky what about the rest?"

Ebony looked over the other options, "Trail mix is okay, it's a little on the salty side, but the candies provide energy so it gets a pass. The protein bars and crackers with cheese get a pass as well."

Dahlia tossed the snacks into her bag, "Nice! I'll be queen of snacks then!"

Roy smiled as he turned back to his packing; Dahlia certainly was incorrigible. The packing continued in silence, each team member hunting around for the final few items they would need. Some time later, Roy's scroll chirped in his pocket and he blinked in surprise as he realized it was 8:45 already.

"Okay team, finish up your packing and get ready for bed!" His announcement was followed by a flurry of zipping and thumping as each member of Team SHDE closed his or her suitcase and dumped it on the floor by the door. One by one, they took their turn in the bathroom, changing into their pajamas and brushing their teeth.

Roy watched Ebony as she reached up and unclasped her hair band. The way her black and purple tresses cascaded down over her shoulders took his breath away. Ebony must've sensed him looking her way and turned, locking eyes with him. Roy blushed furiously and looked away, fiddling with his comforter.

"Hey Roy?" He jumped as Dahlia addressed him. "Where are we going again?"

Roy pulled out his scroll and read the mission details again, "The town of Ulmsted about 120 miles from here," he replied, "it's up high in the mountains and is covered with snow year round."

Ebony leaned over the side of her bunk and gave him a teasing smile, "Ask him if he remembers the mission details, he was just hanging on Ozpin's every word."

The smaller girl grinned and turned back to Roy, "Well?"

The faunus nodded and began to rattle off the mission summary. "Every few years, the grimm population around Ulmstead seemingly triples for no discernable reason. We're being sent up there to help get the grimm levels back to…" Roy made air quotes with his fingers, "Acceptable levels. Our huntsman contact in the area is a man named David Rainere. We'll be staying until the grimm are thinned out or until fall at the latest."

Dahlia snickered and rolled her eyes, "Wow you really did memorize the whole thing."

Roy shrugged, "I am the team leader, it's kinda my job."

The smaller girl gave one of his cat ears a playful poke, "Okay, goodnight Mr. Team Leader."

With that, Dahlia scurried back to her bed with a giggle. Roy shook his head with a laugh and set the alarm on his scroll. Setting the device on the bedside table, he lay back in his bed.

"One final thing guys." he said, "What is something you hope for the mission?"

There were a couple moments of silence and then Ebony spoke, "I just hope for everyone to come back safely."

"Hear, hear!" Dahlia chimed in, "I hope that we make some new friends and kill some baddies."

A couple more seconds of silence passed and then Hunter finally spoke up, "I hope we learn more about each other's fighting style so we can fight better together."

Several murmurs of agreement answered him, the room lapsed into silence once more and Roy started to think. What did he want from this mission? Success? Obviously. Knowledge? Of course.

"I think…" he said tentatively, "I hope we can help," he finished. "It's easy to think that finishing the mission is a given, but we're students…there's a possibility we can't help."

The room was silent as what he'd said sank in.

"I agree with that." Ebony said quietly.

"Me too." Hunter added,

"Me three." Dahlia chorused.

Roy smiled, "Good, let's get to sleep so we can be the best team we can be tomorrow."

A chorus of goodnights later, the dorm had fallen into complete silence. The only sound Roy's sensitive hearing could pick up was the even rise and fall of his teammates' breathing. He closed his eyes and tried his best to fall asleep, but for the life of him, he just couldn't. After spending an hour tossing and turning, Roy climbed down from his bunk quietly and crept to the bathroom. Turning on the light, he looked into the mirror and regarded his somewhat tired looking reflection.

_I wonder why I'm so restless._ he thought, splashing water on his face.

His cat ears flicked as several wayward water drops landed on them and he shook his head slightly, scattering more water droplets on the bathroom's small mirror. Quickly wiping the mirror off, He turned off the light and plunged the bathroom back into darkness. Padding soundlessly back to his bed, Roy settled back against his pillow and closed his eyes. After a few more tosses and turns, the faunus finally dropped off to sleep.

**Oh it's good to be back! I know it's been awhile since I've had anything new but here we are with a brand new story featuring Team SHDE! For those confused about where this takes place in the time line, this story takes place in the summer of RWBY Vol 1. I'm super excited to share this one with you.**

**Until next we meet!**

**Ar3mRising. **


	3. Chapter 2: Departure

The loud strains of a popular rock song jarred Roy awake the next morning. Grumbling darkly to himself, he reached over and grabbed his scroll. After a moment or two of fumbling, he finally slid the alarm icon to the snooze option. Rolling over, he sat up and stretched, wincing at the small popping noises coming from his back.

"Okay team," he began with a yawn, "up and at em!"

A chorus of a sleepy groans mixed with sounds of affirmation greeted him and he tried his hardest to suppress a smile as he watched his teammates slowly emerge from their warm beds. He stifled a laugh as he caught sight of Ebony's tail as she got up from her bed. The static electricity from the sheets had affected her tail in such a way that it was almost two times its normal size. Ebony noticed him staring from her side of the room.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

Roy grinned, pointing to her tail, "Looks like you've got a hairy little problem this morning."

Ebony turned beet red and immediately set about smoothing her tail. Roy snickered, causing her to shoot him an irritated look.

"I'm sorry" he apologized, "It's too funny."

His teammate finally managed to get her tail under control. Walking over to Roy's bunk, she beckoned him to lean down. He obliged and, quick as lightning, Ebony tapped his ear with her fingertip. He yelped; clapping a hand to his ear as an electric shock traveled through it. Looking very pleased with herself, Ebony turned and walked primly away. Grumbling slightly at Ebony's antics, Roy got up and started to get dressed.

He decided against wearing his nice coat on a mission, choosing instead to wear a plain black wool coat that fell to mid-thigh instead. Under this, he wore a maroon long underwear shirt and a pair of black jeans. Reaching over, Roy grasped Black Orchid's sheath and buckled the weapon to his hip. Because of their early departure time, the team had been allowed to retrieve their weapons from the locker room and store them in their dorm room for the night. Satisfied that he was suitably dressed, Roy turned to survey his team.

Ebony had gotten dressed the fastest and now stood resolute, her bag slung over her shoulder. She wore a long midnight blue coat with white gloves, a pair of fuzzy black earmuffs gracing her head.

Next was Dahlia, wearing a down vest with her signature hood poking out the top. On her hands she wore brown leather gloves and a small knitted black hat was pulled down to protect her ears from the cold.

Hunter wore his steel grey woolen coat and black leather gloves. The black fur hat he wore added several inches to his stature, making him quite an intimidating figure.

Roy nodded approvingly at his team, "You guys looked dressed to kill."

Ebony grinned at him, "You don't look too bad yourself."

Roy coughed; attempting to hide the pink color rapidly filling his cheeks, "Ahem, anyway, we should head down to the landing pad to wait for our ride."

Everyone excitedly made their way out of the dorm building, bags in hand. It was early summer and the air was a tad warm for the clothing they were wearing, the four of them sweating slightly as they traipsed across the lawn to the large cement slab that served as Beacon Academy's landing platform. As they waited, the team did their best to keep cool; fanning their faces with their hands and removing their hats.

"I wasn't expecting it to be so warm this morning," Ebony remarked, wiping her hand across her forehead.

Roy yawned widely, revealing his pointed canines. "I know," he said, speaking through the yawn, causing Ebony to giggle next to him.

"What? I'm tired!" he said defensively.

"I know. I am too." she said, gently patting his arm.

A low hum filled the air as a white twin engine aircraft appeared on the horizon, cruising toward the school at a rapid pace. A couple minutes later, the ship slowly lowered onto the landing pad with a bump. The side door of the ship slid open with a metallic clang and a young pilot in his mid-twenties stepped into the doorway.

He wore an olive green coat, thick leather pilot's gloves and a brown fur hat almost identical to Hunter's. He had bright brown eyes and wild reddish brown hair that framed a face that would have been uncannily youthful if not for the dusting of stubble that clung doggedly to his jaw.

"Team SHDE?" he barked as the four students neared the airship.

Roy nodded and held his hand out, "I'm the team's leader; Roy Arashi. Thanks for the ride."

The pilot shook his hand firmly, "I'm Reese and you're more than welcome. Come on in and get your luggage settled."

Team SHDE clambered into the airship, with Roy and Reese bringing up the rear. The interior of the ship was roomier than it appeared from the outside, owed partially to the fact that there were no seats. Several luggage racks dotted the inside of the hold, containing wooden crates of various sizes.

As team SHDE stored away their luggage in one of these racks, Reese retreated to the cockpit and settled back into the pilot's chair. With a gentle tug on the steering yoke, the airship rose gracefully into the air and cruised away from the school.

Roy watched through the still open airship door as Beacon grew smaller and smaller behind them; finally vanishing from view.

"So," Reese said, "Where are you all headed?"

Roy pulled out his scroll and showed the pilot a small map schematic with a small red blip marking their destination.

The pilot grinned, "Aaahhhhh, Loch Warren."

"You know it?" Dahlia asked.

"Aye." Reese replied, "My family and I live there!" He pointed to a small photograph taped to the airship's windshield. The photo showed Reese standing next to a young woman with her blonde hair in a long braid On his shoulders sat a small boy, smiling gap-toothed at the camera, "I fly students around for the school all the times and it doesn't take me close to home very often."

Ebony smiled, "What are their names?" she asked.

"Orga and Airgead," the pilot said; his voice full of pride.

"More valuable than their namesakes I'd wager," Dahlia said, offering her own smile.

Reese's face broke into a surprised smile, "Well, well! I was not expecting someone who knew Sean-Theanga."

The rest of team SHDE shot Dahlia a questioning look. "It's a dialogue usually found in upper Sanus and lower Solitas," she explained, "Their names mean gold and silver in sean-theanga or old tongue."

Hunter gave his girlfriend an admiring look, "Where did you learn old tongue?"

Dahlia scratched her head sheepishly, "My father let me pick two languages to be taught and I picked Ancient Mistrali and old tongue. I must admit my pronunciation is a little rusty."

Reese chuckled, "Sounded good enough to me!"

Dahlia blushed and mumbled her thanks past her hood, which she had pulled over her face from embarrassment.

Reese's eyes settled on Roy next, "Say, team leader, I notice you and your teammate are faunus."

Roy kept his face passive as he chose his next words carefully, "Yeah, and?"

Reese turned his attention back to the open sky, "It's just that the folks at Ulmsted don't take too kindly to them. Me? I have no problem with them, but for some reason the towns' always had this… Animosity towards them."

Roy's ears flattened in irritation at this unwelcome development. "I didn't come on this mission to be liked, I came to help." he replied flatly.

Reese nodded, "And I respect that. All I'm saying is to watch your step."

Ebony stepped forward, "Don't worry, we'll have his back."

The pilot nodded solemnly. "I hope you will," he said quietly, his eyes still trained on the azure expanse before them.

The flight to Ulmsted was almost four hours long and with nothing but clouds and the blue sky to distract them, Team SHDE was in danger of succumbing to boredom. Reese, having made dozens of flights like this, kept them distracted by telling stories and asking them questions about themselves. At some point during the conversation, Reese's GPS beeped softly.

"Oh! Hold on everyone," he said, dipping the ship down below the layer of clouds.

The loch appeared, looking like a dark smudge on the otherwise white canvas of the mountain landscape. The water was a murky pearl gray, with flashes of white appearing here and there as waves folded and crashed into the surf. Along the western shore of the loch stretched a large port town, lights twinkling brightly from countless windows.

"There she is," Reese announced, sounding almost reverent, "Loch Warren and the town of Ulmsted."

The town was slightly smaller than Roy had expected, but it was more or less like he'd imagined. The loch on the other hand was a completely different matter. It was massive, certainly the largest landlocked body of water the faunus had ever seen. At the far side of the town was a foreboding patch of snow dusted woods. The large fir trees completely encompassed the western edge of Ulmsted, stretching almost to the foot of the mountain range that surrounded both the city and the loch. Another patch of woods, this one black and skeletal, stood on the eastern edge of the loch. A thin mist of smoke drifted from the trees, curling into the air like a spirit before the cold wind banished it into the ether.

"Alrighty everyone!" Reese called, "We're beginning our descent, please keep all hands and feet inside the ride at all times."

The girls let out a series of giggles at the joke and they all gripped the handholds hanging from the ceiling tighter as the nose of the aircraft dipped down toward the town. As they neared the ground, the town's landing pad came into view. It was, for the most part, very nondescript. Just a cement square with a white "X" spray painted in the center. Piles of crates were spread around the perimeter, the tarps covering them flapping in the downdraft from the aircraft's engines. Reese skillfully centered the ship over the X, slowly setting it down with a bump.

"Well," he said, flashing a brilliant smile at his passengers. "Welcome to Ulmsted! All ashore that's going ashore!"

**And we've arrived! I came up with the idea for loch Warren and Ulmsted during a history class and I knew I had to write a story with it. Sean Theanga is based on real world Celtic for those that are curious. Hold on to your hats everyone, the story has just begun.**

**Until next we meet!**

**Ar3mRising. **


	4. Chapter 3: A Cold Reception

As they exited the airship, Team SHDE was met with a blast of cold air that cut right through their layers of clothing and chilled them to the bone. The young huntsmen and huntresses in training gripped their coats tighter around themselves, quickly replacing the hats they had removed earlier. Dahlia slid her hood back up, her teeth chattering loudly.

Reese chuckled, "Not use to the cold?"

Roy's teeth were also chattering slightly as he responded, "I thought I would be; I was raised in Atlas. All the months we've spent in Vale's warmer climate really makes a difference."

Ebony smiled, her mind no doubt turning to memories of life in Atlas, "Yeah, back then this would've been considered a nice day."

Reese chuckled and started to walk away from the transport, his hands tucked deep into the pockets of his olive flying jacket. Roy gazed around the landing pad, trying his best to spot anyone who matched the description of David Rainere he'd been given. But, try as he might, he couldn't spot their huntsman contact.

_I wonder where he could be, maybe he just...forgot?_

He felt Hunter tap his shoulder and turned to give him a quizzical look. The taller boy motioned around the landing pad with his eyes,

"Shouldn't there be someone here to meet us?" He murmured.

Roy nodded, "yeah, it's odd that he isn't here. Maybe he's just out hunting grimm."

Hunter chewed his lip, "We should ask around, see if anyone knows where he is."

Roy nodded again, "Agreed." Stepping out from under the airship's wing, he called after the pilot, "Where's the best place to get information in town?"

The man kept walking; simply motioning in the direction he was headed. "The local Tavern would be a good start,"

Roy raised an eyebrow, "He knows we're all under age...right?"

Ebony shrugged, "He's not wrong; people who frequent taverns usually hold a great deal of useful information." She turned with a flick of her tail, following Reese down the street.

Dahlia took Hunter's arm and the two of them followed after Ebony, weaving their way between the townspeople. Roy lingered by the airship for a bit longer, wanting to make sure he still had everything packed securely. A chill danced its way up his spine as he checked his bag, causing him to shoot a covert glance over his shoulder.

A small crowd of townspeople had gathered on the edge of the landing area, staring at him with looks of ill-hidden suspicion on their faces. Roy suddenly realized he wasn't wearing his hood or his hat, meaning that his large cat ears were on full display. He quickly slid his hood up, obscuring his faunus traits from view. Shouldering his pack, Roy began to walk toward the townspeople. They remained standing in his way, not budging an inch even when the faunus was only a few feet from them.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, setting his hand on Black Orchid's pommel. The moment his hand touched the weapon, the townspeople parted quickly down the middle and allowed Roy to pass through. He could almost feel the many pairs of eyes drilling into the back of his head as he walked by. As soon as he got clear of the group, he broke into a light jog.

He caught up with his teammates in front of a two-story brick building. It had a large bay window with the words "The Naked Nevermore" splashed across it in peeling gold lettering. A carved wooden sign hanging from a wrought iron bar above the door depicted a buxom winged woman, wearing what looked to be a nevermore bone mask.

Roy averted his eyes from the sign and followed his teammates inside. The interior was much like the outside, quaint and rustic with a strong smell of alcohol filling the air. Tables and chairs were spread across the room and a small fire crackled away in the large cut stone hearth. A small group of men surrounded the hearth, some in armchairs while others leaned on the mantle, swapping stories as they nursed tankards that gleamed dull silver in the firelight. Roy spotted Reese sitting amongst them, listening intently to the person speaking and sipping occasionally from a large mug of what looked like coffee.

His teammates had settled down at a large round table next to the window. Ebony was scanning the room, looking very uncomfortable. As Roy walked into the inn, she got up and darted over to him.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I can't shake this uneasy feeling," she murmured back, "All the townspeople look at me like I'm some sort of intruder."

Roy nodded, lowering his hood, "I've been getting that too. I think, until we find Rainere, we should listen to Reese and watch our step around here."

Ebony nodded and moved back to the table while Roy moved up to the bar. The counter was made of one giant slab of rough cut wood, dents and scrapes dotting the aged surface, doubtless from the generations of tankards that had been set there. Behind the bar stood rows of large casks, each one bearing the name of its contents scrawled across it in red paint. The owner of the bar was nowhere in sight so Roy sat on one of the many bar stools, content to wait for the proprietor.

"Can I help you sir?" a cheery female voice asked from behind him.

Roy turned around to find a stunningly beautiful girl standing before him. She was about 5' 8" in height, with sandy blonde hair and reddish brown eyes. She wore a black dress with a white skirt that fell to just above her knees, a large black apron, black stockings and a blue cloth tied around her head to keep her hair back.

Roy tried to speak, but found his tongue wouldn't function properly, "I...Um...Well" he finally managed to get a single word out, "Barkeeper?"

The girl smiled, "Oh, you're looking for Corvatts. I'll fetch him for you." The girl disappeared into the bar's back room, emerging a moment later with a man in tow. She motioned to Roy, "Here he is Corvatts, I think he wanted to speak with you."

Corvatts picked up a spare tankard and began to wipe it with a cloth from his apron pocket. He was a large man with fiery red hair, Bright lilac eyes and a scruffy red beard. A toothpick protruded from his lips, bobbing up and down as he chewed on the end.

"You don't look old enough to be in here boy," he said in a deep, gravelly voice.

Roy shook his head, "No sir, I wasn't looking for a drink, it's information I want."

The barman's eyes flickered with a look of contempt as his eyes found the pair of cat ears on Roy's head, "You're not from around here I take it."

Roy shook his head again, "No I'm not. My team and I are from Beacon Academy in Vale, we're here to help with your grimm problem."

Corvatts' face darkened slightly, "Who says we've got a problem?" he growled.

Roy raised a hand defensively, "I'm just repeating the details I was given. Have you seen a man named David Rainere lately?"

The barkeep was quiet for several moments, polishing the tankard like there was no tomorrow, "The huntsman? He was in here a couple weeks ago. Haven't seen him since. If I were you, I'd talk with Father Umber. He's the only real town leader we have."

Roy cocked his head, "and where might I find him?"

Corvatts motioned out of the bar, "Big stone building with the bell tower at the top of the square, you can't miss it."

Roy thanked the barkeep once more and exited the bar with his team in tow, trudging across the snow-covered square towards the church. The building in question was indeed hard to miss, due to the fact that it towered over the surrounding structures. The church was built with massive stone blocks, making the church far more imposing than the other buildings. As they reached the large double doors, Roy grasped the brass knocker and swung it into the aged wood twice. A few moments passed; then the door swung open with a mighty creaking of hinges.

A tall man stood before them in the doorway. He had slicked over black hair and wise hazel eyes. He was wearing a plain black button up suit, the flash of a white clerical collar at his neck marking him as a man of faith.

"Ah, shall I assume you are the students from Beacon?" he asked in a smooth baritone voice.

Roy nodded, "Yes sir, I'm Shiroi Arashi: team leader."

Each of his teammates stepped forward and introduced themselves one by one;

"Hunter Zant."

"Dahlia Shino."

"Ebony Winterhold."

The man nodded to each of them in turn, "It is indeed a pleasure to meet you, I am Father Umber, Head of this church." He motioned into the building, "But where are my manners? Please come inside."

Roy murmured a thanks as he and his team stepped into the church. The temperature inside the building was cold, warmer than the outside yes, but still cold. The entryway was tiled with black marble and a door at the far end of the room stood ajar, allowing Roy a quick view of the inner sanctuary. Red wood pews stood in neat rows leading up to a large wooden altar. Standing behind the altar was a large black stone statue. Before Roy could make out the details of the statue, Father Umber moved to the door and shut it firmly.

"My office is right up this way," the reverend said, motioning to a set of stairs on the left side of the entryway.

The group, with Umber leading the way, made its way up the stairs and into Umber's office. The walls of the room were lined with shelves upon shelves of books, an oak desk dominating the center of the room. Several items sitting on the worn wooden surface caught Roy's attention; a book with a dark circle surrounded by gold filigree inscribed on the cover and a couple carved wooden statues of grimm. The miniatures depicted a crouching beowulf and an ursa. It was obvious that the craftsman who made the figurines had seen each grimm in the wild, having carved each figure with exquisite detail.

"What faith do you preach exactly?" Ebony asked curiously, pulling Roy's attention from the figures back to their host.

Father Umber stepped behind the desk and placed his hand reverently on the book's cover, "Why, the faith of the God of destruction, he who is the great equalizer, he who perfectly balances the scales of life and death."

Roy quirked an eyebrow at the miniature sermon. He knew his mother was a follower of the God of creation, but up until now he had no idea that there was anyone who worshiped the God of destruction.

_It's not my business,_ he thought to himself, _people believe what people believe._

He cleared his throat, "The report we received said you were having...Grimm problems?"

Umber nodded, "Indeed. Normally the grimm act as a balancing force to our town. But, as you've no doubt been told, every once and a while the grimm population explodes. To restore the proper balance, these excess grimm need to be culled and that's where your team comes in."

Roy placed his hand confidently on Black Orchid's pommel, "I think we can handle that," he said, grinning as a chorus of confirmation rang out behind him.

Umber smiled warmly, "Splendid, if there's anything you young ones need, you need only to ask."

Roy gave the offer some thought, "We'll need somewhere to stay."

Umber nodded, "Of course, I'll put in a word with Corvatts at the Naked Nevermore. I will warn you, ice fishing season is just starting up and we've got a whole host of visitors from the surrounding countryside. The inns may be a bit full."

Roy nodded, "Understood. You have our thanks father. Two more questions and then we'll leave you alone."

Umber held his hands out in a welcoming gesture, "Ask away."

Roy pulled a paper map of the loch and the surrounding area from his bag, "Could you show us where the majority of the grimm disturbances occur?"

Umber dipped a pen into an inkwell on his desk and drew three large circles on the map in crimson ink. "To the best of my knowledge I would say... Here."

One in the forest.

"Here."

One on the far side of the loch.

"And here." One right smack dab in the middle of the lake.

Roy rolled the map back up, "Thank you. My other question is about where we can find David Rainere."

Father Umber cocked his head slightly, puzzled, "Rainere… Rainere… Ah yes! The huntsman. He went out to hunt grimm a couple weeks ago, but he said he'd be back by the time the students arrived."

Roy nodded, "His hunt probably ran long," he mused, more to himself than the reverend. "We'll get out of your hair now, father." he said.

Umber nodded, "I pray good fortune follows you," he said, "I trust I'll be seeing you again."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Roy said as he backed toward the office door. His back bumped against someone who was entering the office and as he turned, he caught sight of an olive green coat.

"Oh sorry Reese. I didn't see you!" the faunus exclaimed.

The pilot smiled distractedly, "No harm done, I just came to have a word with the reverend."

Ebony gave Roy a light push from behind to get him moving, "Well, we won't keep you" she said, giving the pilot a warm smile.

Moving past the pilot, team SHDE walked down the stairs and exited the church. The air had grown colder while they'd been inside, causing their breath to rise in a fine mist before them.

"What do you think we guys should do?" Roy asked, "Should we call Ozpin and tell him about Rainere being late?"

Dahlia rubbed her arms vigorously, trying her best to stay warm."W-whatever w-we do, I w-want to d-do it inside." she forced out, her teeth chattering furiously.

Hunter rolled his eyes, "Come here you." He enveloped the tiny girl in his arms, partially wrapping her in his coat. He looked up at his teammates, "I think we should get back the inn, get our rooms set up, and grab something to eat. Thinking is better done on a full stomach"

Roy hid a grin; the sight of Dahlia almost disappearing in Hunter's bear-like embrace almost made him chuckle. He turned to Ebony, "what do you think?"

The female faunus tugged the collar of her coat closer to her chin, "I agree with them. We should get settled before tackling this particular problem."

Roy nodded, "alright then, let's get going."

Turning, he led his team back through the snow toward the comforting warmth of the tavern.

**It's winter here in Wisconsin and I can feel the cold air even now as I sit writing this. The Naked Nevermore was a cool little tavern I came up with a while ago and never had any use for it. Now, it shall serve its purpose. I hope you guys are enjoying the story. If you have an critiques or questions, why not leave a review? They help me make the story better and are always welcome.**

**Until next we meet!**

**Ar3mRising. **


	5. Chapter 4: A Warm Bed and A Hot Meal

Team SHDE stepped through the door of the Naked Nevermore to find the tavern was much more crowded than it had been when they'd arrived; almost every chair now being occupied by a towns person or tourist. Roy carefully made his way through the room, careful not to bump anyone as spilled drinks usually led to awkward situations. He finally made it safely to the bar and waved Corvatts down.

"Excuse me!" he had to shout over the din, "Do you have any rooms left?"

The barkeeper nodded, "We have a single and a double! The reverend told me to reserve two rooms and those were the only ones we had left!"

Roy shot a glance back at his teammates; two of them would have to share a bed. Roy turned pink as his eyes hovered on Ebony. He cleared his throat, "Okay team, we have a single room and a double room. How do you want to handle this?"

Ebony motioned to Dahlia and the two of them put their heads together and began whispering to each other. Roy looked at Hunter and quirked an eyebrow. Hunter shrugged and made a nervous face. The two girls finished their discussion and turned to face them, Ebony looking pleased as she addressed the boys, "We've decided that Hunter and Dahlia will share the bed in the single room and Roy and I will take the double room."

Dahlia blushed, "That is… if that's okay with you Hunter," she said. "I know sleeping in a bed together is a big step for us."

Hunter's face reddened slightly but he smiled, "I'd love too, if you're okay with it."

Dahlia smiled and nodded back. Roy turned back to Corvatts, scooped the keys off of the counter and handed the single room key to Hunter. The team ascended the stairs to the second floor and found that the single room was just off the stairs on the right.

"How about we get settled and then meet back here for lunch," Roy suggested.

Everyone agreed, Roy and Ebony leaving their teammates to get settled as they continued onward. Their room; room 103, was on the far side of the inn at the end of the long hallway. When they reached it, Roy unlocked the door and swung it open; revealing the interior. The room was of a decent size, with dusty gray walls and large beams stretching across the ceiling with a single light hanging from it. A fireplace, currently unlit, stood against the left wall. At the head of the room, was a large window that stretched the length of the back wall. Two beds with dark blue comforters sat beneath this with a single end table between them. Ebony crossed to the window and looked outside,

"Not much of a view." she sighed, tossing her bag onto one of the beds.

Roy followed suit, his own bag landing on the other bed with a muffled whump. He sat down to test the mattress and sank down into it a fair amount, marking it as a high quality bed. He shot a quick glance at Ebony. She was currently standing at the window, gazing down into the dingy sidestreet below her.

"Still feeling uneasy?" he asked.

Ebony shrugged, "Not as much, but… Yeah."

She turned to look at Roy, "Everywhere I go in this town, I can feel unfriendly eyes on me. It's like Atlas all over again."

Roy sighed, "Yeah… I can feel it too."

Ebony gripped her arms as though she was warding off a sudden chill, "I really don't like it here," she whispered.

Roy stood and patted her shoulder comfortingly. "It'll get better once we meet up with Mr. Rainere." he assured her.

Ebony placed her hand on Roy's, her next words coming out in a quiet whisper, "I hope you're right."

Roy gently pulled his hand away and cleared his throat, "I think I know what might make you feel better,"

Crossing to the window, he opened it and slid onto the sill. He looked back to see Ebony regarding him with a confused expression.

"Sitting on the windowsill will help me feel better?" she asked.

Roy chuckled, "Don't be silly, we're going to jump."

Ebony's confusion quickly turned to scepticism.

"It's not that far," Roy assured her, "We can go for a walk and give the town a second look."

His teammate shot a glance at the door, "What about Hunter and Dahlia? What about planning?"

Roy took his scroll out and quickly shot Hunter a text. "I told them to get lunch without us. We'll join them and plan during supper. Come on!"

Roy dropped from the window and landed on the street below in a crouch, straightening up as Ebony landed gracefully next to him a few seconds later.

"Where should we go first?" He asked.

Ebony pointed toward the bell tower, still visible over the surrounding rooftops. "I saw a small market in the square by the church, I think that would be a good place to start."

The two began walking and before long, they reached the square. The market was a quaint affair, two rows of simple wooden stalls with colored cloth awnings. The stalls on the right side of the square sold food, while the ones on the left sold souvenirs and other amenities.

The aroma from the right side of the square caused Roy's stomach to grumble. "I'm going to grab us something to eat, Any preferences?"

Ebony's keen eyes quickly scanned the stalls and she pointed to one with a simple wooden sign carved to look like a fish. The vendor was selling what appeared to be Mistrali Shioyaki, but with a few extra spices added. Roy bought two and turned to find that Ebony had wandered over to the souvenir stalls.

He caught up to her, handing her one of the fishes. "See anything good?"

Ebony nodded and held out her hand to reveal an exquisitely crafted butterfly hair clip nestled in her palm. The body and wings were made of silver and the delicate pattern of the wings were made of red glass.

Roy whistled, "Wow, that's pretty. How much was it?"

Ebony shrugged and made as if to stow the clip in her pocket, "Not that much."

Roy gently took the clip from her and, clenching his fish between his teeth, gently replaced her hair band with it.

"It looks really good." he said, handing her the hair band and taking a bite of the fish.

Ebony blushed and nibbled at her own fish, her eyes lighting up as she did. "This is really good!"

Roy couldn't agree more. He'd had fish before, but never one prepared this well. The added spices worked in tandem with the natural taste of the fish, resulting in a taste that was quite amazing. The two of them resumed walking as they ate, eager to see more of the town. Despite its size, Ulmstead had no shortage of stores, cafes, and gift shops. They even found a Schnee Dust Company shop on one of the corners.

The sun was beginning to set by the time they reached the harbor. The light of the setting sun shone across the water, painting the swells a dusty orange. The two faunus stood, taking a few moments to admire the view. Roy closed his eyes, reveling in the last bit of the sun's warmth. He heard a camera shutter click and opened his eyes to find that Ebony had taken a selfie.

"I'll send it to you." she said with a playful wink.

"Thanks," he said, gesturing back toward the Naked Nevermore. "We should probably get back."

Ebony nodded and the two of them cut back through the town to the tavern. Rather than heading to the front entrance, Roy led them back down the sidestreet that ran under their room's window.

Ebony gave him a curious look, "I thought we were going in."

"We are," Roy replied, "I just wanted to go in through the back. Less risk of bumping someone."

He took a running start and jumped up, pushing off of the opposite building and catching the edge of their room's window. Pulling himself up Roy slid through the window into the room. Ebony was right behind, almost gliding through the window after him.

"If I didn't know better," she said with a slight smirk, "I'd think you were just showing off."

Roy simply shrugged, trying to look as innocent as he could.

Ebony rolled her eyes and took out her scroll, "I'll text the others to say we're back." she said, shedding her coat with a flourish.

"Sounds good," Roy replied, shedding his own coat and tossing it onto the bed.

After stowing their weapons away, the two faunus stepped into the hallway and headed toward their teammates room. They found Dahlia and Hunter waiting for them at the top of the stairs.

"You guys all finished sightseeing?" Dahlia asked cheerfully.

Roy nodded, "Yup. What do you think of the room?"

Hunter shrugged, "Ours is nice, it looks out onto the town square."

Dahlia looked at Ebony expectantly, "What about yours?"

Ebony crossed her arms, "Ours is the same, probably a bit roomier than yours though."

Dahlia waved her hand dismissively, "It doesn't seem that small, but maybe that's because I don't take up very much space."

Roy couldn't help but smile at the smaller girl's remark. "She does have a point. Anyway, we should get something to eat."

Ebony gave him a smug look, "That sounds surprisingly sensible."

Roy gave her an offended look, "How is that surprising?"

Dahlia snickered, "Surprising coming from you."

Roy's ears twitched in irritation. "You!-"

Ebony and Dahlia bolted down the stairs before he could finish, their laughter drifting back toward him as they went.

Roy shot Hunter a look, "You have any quips about how I talk?"

Hunter grinned and shook his head, "Nope."

-:-

As Team SHDE descended the stairs to the main bar area, the din of the dinner rush assaulted their ears. Roy's ears in particular flattened to defend against the waves of sound. They wove their way through the throngs of patrons and finally settled at a table in the far corner of the room. As they sat down, the pretty barmaid from earlier walked gracefully over to the table.

"Good evening!" she greeted them brightly, "What can I get you fine people tonight?"

Roy had been eyeing another patron's meal; A baked apple with a slab of white meat.

"I'll take what he's having" he said, gesturing toward the patron.

The barmaid smiled warmly, "I like a man who knows what he wants," she said, a slight purr in her voice.

Coughing and blushing, Roy turned to Ebony. "Sooo, What are you having?" he asked, cringing as his voice cracked from nerves.

Ebony rolled her eyes and turned a level gaze to the petite barmaid. "I'll take the chicken and mashed potatoes," she said, never blinking as she stared the barmaid down.

Oblivious to Ebony's almost hostile gaze, the barmaid scribbled down her order. She flourished her pen as she finished, turning her attention to Dahlia and Hunter. "And what about the lovely couple?"

Dahlia giggled and slid her hand into Hunter's, "Can I have the stuffed salmon?"

Hunter smiled, gently enveloping her hand in his, "I'll take the smoked cod please."

The barmaid wrote the orders down, "Great! We'll have that right out for you. If you have any questions, just call me over. My name is Momo; it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Roy smiled and nodded, "Likewise, I'm Roy, this is Ebony, Dahlia, and Hunter."

Momo bowed to each of them in turn, "Aren't you guys the visitors from Vale?" she asked.

Roy nodded, "Yeah, we're the team from Beacon."

Momo's eyes lit up, "Oh! I have so many questions-."

"Momo! Stop bothering our guests, you have work to do!" Corvatts' voice interrupted Momo's query.

She squeaked and scurried back to the bar. Roy watched her go, aimlessly playing with the strap of his eyepatch.

"I wonder what she was going to ask," he mused.

Ebony shrugged, "Probably what it's like in Vale or how is Beacon this time of year."

Roy hummed thoughtfully, "Why do you think that?"

Ebony flicked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Well, if you lived in this frigid place, wouldn't you want to learn all you can about other places?"

Roy shrugged, "I guess."

A dark muttering from the table beside theirs drew Roy's attention. A young man with long black hair sat there, gripping a tankard, scowling at them and muttering to himself. Roy turned his ear toward the table just in time to hear him say, "So glad the lovely couple brought their pets along."

Roy's grip tightened on a piece of cutlery and he made as if to stand up. Ebony caught his arm, shaking her head at him. Roy scowled, but remained seated. A few minutes later, Momo returned, bearing their orders on a large tray. One by one, she passed out the meals,

"Enjoy the food! Father Umber said to put it on his tab; you must have made a good impression." she said before bowing and turning to wait on the next table.

Team SHDE obliged with gusto, quickly polishing off the meal. Momo wandered back over ten minutes later to retrieve their dishes, "Wow! That was quick. You guys feeling any dessert?"

Roy could tell by the way Dahlia's eyes lit up that at least one of them was. "What's house special?" he asked.

Momo grinned as she pointed to a large cake with white frosting sitting in a covered glass tray. "Tonight, we have Rum cake with a key lime buttercream."

Ebony, despite not having much of a sweet tooth, perked up at the mention of cake.

Roy grinned and turned back to Momo, "We'll take four slices of the rum cake please."

The barmaid smiled as she wrote the order down. "Alrighty, I'll have that for you guys in just a few ticks."

A few minutes later, Momo returned with the four cake slices perched on a large serving tray. Once every member of the team had their cake, Roy sliced into his piece with his fork and took a bite.

The taste was heavenly. The cake itself was sweet and savory, while the slightly tart taste of the key lime buttercream perfectly balanced out the flavor. Roy couldn't recall having eaten anything that tasted as good in his entire life, including the fish that afternoon. By the time he'd finished, not a single crumb was left.

Their plates empty and their appetites sated, the four students slowly made their way over to the large stone fireplace. Four armchairs were situated around the hearth, providing a comfortable seat for any weary traveler wishing to warm themselves by the fire. Roy, Ebony, and Hunter ensconced themselves in three of the chairs, while Dahlia perched primly on the arm of Hunter's chair.

"So…" Roy began, "What do you guys want to do?"

His teammates glanced around at each other, "We're still first years in a strange place with no back up." Dahlia mused, fiddling with a lock of her dirty-blonde hair, "We don't really know what we're supposed to do here."

Roy shrugged, "I'm pretty sure we just go out and kill grimm, it's not that hard."

Hunter gave Roy a slightly reproachful look, "I don't know what you and Ebony's pasts were like before Beacon, but Dahlia and I don't really have the level of field experience that you guys do. We should be careful with how we proceed."

Roy chewed his lip thoughtfully, "What do you propose?"

Hunter sighed, sweeping his brown bangs out of his face, "I don't know...I hadn't gotten that far yet."

Ebony raised her hand, "I vote we let Professor Goodwitch know about our situation. She might have some advice as to what we do next."

Dahlia's hand shot up, "Seconded!"

Roy nodded, "Okay, I'll give her a call first thing in the morning. We'll wait to make any more plans until after."

His team murmured their agreement, then lapsed into a thoughtful silence. As time went on, the bar slowly emptied of people. By the time the clock struck nine, Team SHDE were the only customers left. Roy could feel himself nodding off as the heat of the fire worked its magic.

A quiet humming reached his ears and he looked over to see Momo sweeping the floor. As she swept, she opened her mouth slightly, turning the humming into a soft run of notes that drifted gently through the room. Roy felt something stir inside him in response to the melody.

"What is that song?" he asked quietly.

Momo turned to him with an embarrassed smile, "Oh, it's just an old folk song I learned."

Roy was still curious, "Does the song have lyrics?" he asked.

Momo nodded, "It does. The song tells of a hero who comes to a snowbound land and defeats a great evil."

Roy made a small noise of interest, "I'd love to hear the whole song...But…" he trailed off, his gaze drifting back to his team.

Dahlia had slid from the arm of the chair into Hunter's lap, where she now slumbered peacefully. Hunter didn't seem to mind, content to gently run his fingers through the smaller girl's hair. Ebony was nodding off in her red armchair, her eyes desperately fighting a losing battle against the oncoming tide of sleep.

"I should probably get my team to bed," he finished with a small smile.

Momo returned the smile, "Of course, I'll leave you to it. Have a good night."

The barmaid turned to walk toward the bar's back room. She paused and turned to address Roy again, "I would be happy to perform the full song for you sometime."

Roy bowed his head to her, "I would be honored to hear it."

Momo smiled brightly before crossing to the bar and disappearing into the kitchen.

Roy leaned over and placed his hand on Ebony's shoulder. She yawned and blinked owlishly,

"Yes, yes. I'm awake," she murmured.

Roy grinned, "Not for long you're not, let's get to bed."

Ebony stood and stretched luxuriously, "Sounds good, I'll meet you up there."

She stood and walked gracefully to the stairs, vanished from view as she ascended. Hunter moved past Roy, carrying the still slumbering Dahlia in his arms.

"We're lucky, aren't we," he whispered.

Roy raised an eyebrow, "How so?"

Hunter nodded at Dahlia and then toward the stairs. "We both get to be on a team with the people we're the closest to."

Roy nodded, "Yeah, I guess that does make us pretty lucky."

Hunter leaned down and gave Dahlia a light kiss before turning to Roy once more, "Anyway, good night team leader."

Roy was about to remind Hunter he didn't have to call him 'Team leader' when he noticed his teammate trying his hardest to hide a smile. The taller boy was simply teasing him.

"Okay mister," Roy said with a lighthearted growl, "You and your lady love should get to bed."

Hunter chuckled softly, "Yes sir."

Roy followed his teammate up the stairs and walked down the hallway to his room. As he started to open the door, he jumped as he heard Ebony squeak in alarm, "Wait! I'm not dressed yet!"

Roy quickly stopped the door from opening all the way and shut it again.

"Sorry!" he called through the door, his face burning from embarrassment.

After a flurry of movement from inside the room, Ebony opened the door, "You can come in now." she said with a small grin.

Roy stepped sheepishly inside, "I'm sorry Eb, I should have knocked."

Ebony nodded, "Yeah, well now you know, so no harm done."

Roy moved to his suitcase and extracted his pajamas. After changing into them, he crawled into his bed. The mattress was so soft and the comforter was so heavy and warm that Roy fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

**Woof, what a day. I really love describing foods although I will admit that the fish was hard to describe as I've never had it in that style. Anyway, for anyone wondering about the seeming lack of technology in Ulmstead; It is a tourist destination, known for being rustic. I hope you all are enjoying the story!**

**Until we next meet.**

**Ar3mRising. **


	6. Chapter 5: Blue Eyes

Roy woke up bright and early the next morning. The sun was barely beginning to peek over the horizon, staining the loch a dusky pink. He dressed quickly, taking extra care not to disturb Ebony. He shot a quick glance at his teammate's bed and what he saw caused him to smile. Ebony lay on her side, cuddling her tail. Her face was set in a serene expression and her eyelids moved gently, her dreams obviously happy and peaceful. |

For once. he thought as he crept past the bed and moved to the door. Pushing it open, he slipped silently into the hallway. His feet made almost no noise as he padded to the stairs and descended to the main level of the Tavern.

Momo was already up, wiping down tables, stoking the fire and generally preparing the inn for the morning rush. He gave her a small wave as he stepped outside to make his scroll call. Professor Goodwitch had given him her personal scroll number in case they had any questions and right now, Roy had several questions to ask her.

He entered the number and hit the green call button, holding the device to his ear. It rang for what seemed like ages, before it beeped three times. Looking at the screen, Roy saw that, despite being on a mountain, he had no bars.

_That's...Odd._ He thought.

Moving out from under the tavern's awning, He tried again and got the same result. Looking up at the surrounding mountains, it dawned on him that they may be acting as a sort of natural jammer. Roy slid the scroll shut with a sigh and walked back inside the tavern. sitting down at the bar, he picked up the breakfast menu and began to peruse it.

"Good morning Roy," the barmaid greeted him cheerily.

Roy offered her a half smile in return, "Good morning."

Momo walked behind the bar as Roy set the menu back down. "Did you sleep well?"

Roy debated whether he should tell the friendly barmaid the truth. The truth in this case being that, despite the fact he'd fallen asleep at first, he'd been awakened by a sudden wave of anxiety that had kept him up until 2 in the morning. In the end, he decided to spare Momo the woe-is-me and offered her a simple; "Well enough."

Momo nodded knowingly, "I understand, would you like something off the breakfast menu?"

Roy shook his head, "I think I'll just have some coffee. What's the cheapest blend you have?"

Momo raised an eyebrow, "A little low on lien?"

Roy shrugged, "Beacon gives their students a small amount of money to buy ammunition and upkeep their weapons." He explained, "It isn't really meant to be used on coffee."

Momo chewed her lip and thought for a moment, "Well in that case… The cheapest one we have is our Vale blend."

Roy nodded, "I'll take that please."

Momo threw him a salute, "Comin right up!" she singsonged as she began preparing the coffee.

Roy withdrew his paper copy of the map from the inside pocket of his coat and scanned it while he waited for his drink. Right now, he was in search of an area that might serve as a sweet spot for scroll reception. He didn't want to have to scale the mountains and would much rather find a local area where the signal was strongest. Roy quickly realized the map wouldn't be much help with this, so instead he started scanning the spots that Umber had circled the day before.

Although the red circle in the middle of the loch intrigued him, he decided against it; that spot could wait until later. The area that peaked his interest was where the woods met the edge of the town. From experience, Roy knew grimm were almost always more numerous in the woods, thus it would be the best place to start when they finally got to killing grimm.

"Annnd… Here's your coffee!" Momo announced.

Roy set the required lien on the counter and accepted the steaming mug, feeling the warmth of the coffee spread through his fingers. He took a deep breath, letting the savory aroma of the coffee clear the last few sleepy cobwebs from his mind.

"I know you said the Vale blend…" Momo said tentatively, "But I went ahead and gave you the blend from Atlas. I already paid the difference."

Roy blinked in surprise, "You didn't have to do that!" he said.

"Well, I did so ha!" Momo replied, sticking her tongue out in a teasing manner.

Roy smiled despite himself and took a sip of the coffee. The creamy, almost hazelnut taste of the coffee caused him to sigh contentedly as the warmth permeated through his body. "I am glad you did," he hummed happily.

"So am I," Momo said, "I should get back to work. Corvatts gets irritable when the morning chores aren't finished."

Roy took another sip of the coffee, "I won't keep you, I should get back to my room anyway."

Momo smiled, "Someone waiting for you up there?"

Roy quickly shook his head, "No, Ebony's still sleeping. I just want to get up there before she wakes up."

Momo raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure you too are just teammates?"

Roy's face turned red and he almost choked on his coffee. "She's just a really close friend. That's all," he sputtered.

Momo waved him away, trying and failing to hide her smile, "Sure, sure, finish your coffee and get."

Roy downed the rest of his coffee, "Thanks again for the coffee Momo," he said, setting the mug on the bar. "I'll be back down with my team for breakfast."

The barmaid laughed as she cleared away the empty mug. "I look forward to seeing you again," she called softly as Roy made his way toward the stairs. His foot was on the first step when he remembered…"Oh, Momo?"

The barmaid poked her head out from the kitchen, "Yes?"

He pointed to his map, "I tried making a scroll call earlier and it didn't get through. Do you know if there's a sweet spot around here somewhere?"

Momo chewed her lip thoughtfully, "Only one I know of is on a high knoll in the woods to the east of us. If you're trying to call someone outside the town it probably won't work. Scroll service is only reliable here in town."

Roy trotted back to the barmaid and laid the map out again, "could you point to the area on the map?"

Momo nodded and pointed to a spot that was uncomfortably close to the red circle, "It was around here if I remember correctly."

Roy made a mental note of the spot and folded the map back up, "Thanks Momo, I'll be sure to check it out."

The barmaid gave him a smile, "Don't mention it. I'm just glad I could help."

Roy gave her a quick return smile before creeping back to his room, the map tucked under his arm. He opened the door to find Ebony awake, sitting up in her bed waiting for him.

"Oh, did I wake you? I'm sorry," Roy whispered, setting the map on his bed.

Ebony shook her head, covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned. "I woke myself up, I wondered where you were."

"I went to give Glynda a call," Roy replied, "No luck; the signal is really bad around here. Momo was up and she made me some coffee."

Ebony rubbed some sleep from her eyes, "That was nice of her. What are we going to do now?"

Roy walked over to her bed and laid the map out, pointing to the spot the barmaid had shown him, "Momo said there was a sweet spot around here."

Ebony fussed with her tail to make sure it was looking its normal neat and fluffy self, "I take it we're going to look for it today?"

Roy rifled through his suitcase, choosing his clothes for the day. "Yep! Shall we go fetch our teammates and get started?" He asked, holding them up.

Ebony yawned again, "Roy… it's six thirty in the morning and breakfast isn't for another three and a half hours. You should get more sleep."

Roy sheepishly set the clothes on the end of his bed, "You're right. I just want to get started."

Ebony sighed and offered him a small smile, "I know, I'm uneasy about this situation too. But if you don't get enough rest now you'll regret it later."

Roy climbed into bed and was just about to settle back when he heard Ebony cough slightly. He glanced over at her and found her fidgeting with her comforter,

"Is something wrong Eb?" he asked.

Ebony blatantly avoided eye contact as she answered, "I actually didn't wake myself up; my anxiety is really bad this morning. Could you come lay in bed with me until I fall asleep?"

Roy nodded and quietly padded over to the bed and settled himself next to his teammate. Ebony lay back next to him and closed her eyes. A few minutes later, both faunus had dropped off, with Roy still snuggled next to Ebony.

-:-

Roy was jolted awake several hours later by the door to his and Ebony's room suddenly flying open.

"Good morning you two!" Dahlia announced as she waltzed into the room. "How did you… sleep," she stopped dead in her tracks as she noticed where Roy had been sleeping. "Oh sorry...I guess I should've knocked first."

Roy's heart was beating in his ears at the sudden intrusion and he could feel his face turning a deep shade of scarlet at being caught in Ebony's bed. "I-it's not what it looks like!" he exclaimed, quickly scrambling away from Ebony's bed.

"Uhuh, sure it isn't" Dahlia said, an irritatingly smug look plastered on her face. "I'll leave you two love-birds to it. Oh, just so you know, breakfast is in a few minutes."

Snickering, the smaller girl turned on her heel and exited the room, shutting the door firmly behind her. Roy waited until he was sure she was gone, then flopped face first onto his bed and groaned.

"I guess someone forgot to lock the door after they came back," Ebony said, stifling a laugh, "I don't think I've ever seen you blush so hard before."

Roy muttered a few choice words into the comforter before standing up and grabbing the clothes he'd dug out of his suitcase a few hours earlier.

"If you're done grinning like an ursa who's found a lancer hive..." he huffed, "I want breakfast."

Ebony, still smiling, nodded and began to get ready.

-:-

A few hours and a hearty breakfast later, Team SHDE trekked into the woods surrounding Olmsted. It was an overcast day, with drab gray clouds hiding the sun and a scattering of snowflakes drifting lazily around them. Roy was in the lead, his faunus ears swiveling to and fro in an attempt to catch any sound of any approaching threats. He'd asked several breakfast patrons for information with mixed success, but he had learned that the woods were home to a pack of beowolves that had been wreaking havoc in the outlying farms and residences.

"Hear anything yet, lover-boy?"

Roy turned to Dahlia, stifling his annoyance at the way she'd interrupted his vigil. "Not yet, but we're almost at the sweet spot. Hopefully we can get some answers."

Dahlia nodded, lapsing back into silence while Roy went back to listening to their surroundings. The snap of a twig off to their right broke the silence like a gunshot. Roy threw his hand up, signaling his team to stop and adopt defensive positions. Loosening Black Orchid in its sheath, Roy moved forward towards where the sound had emanated from. As he neared a large patch of bushes, a loud rustling caused Roy to stop in his tracks and draw his sword. His teammates followed suit, each one drawing his or her weapon. The young faunus reached out slowly and swiftly yanked the bush's branches aside. He swept Black Orchid up, ready to bring it down on whatever grimm dared to show its face and froze.

Staring back at him from inside the bush were, not the angry red eyes of a grimm, but the scared blue eyes of a child. The faunus and the girl stared at each other in silence for a few moments, as if not sure how they should react. The child's eyes took in the sight of Roy's upheld weapon and she fled from the bush, darting behind a large birch tree several yards away. Roy was dumbfounded; he certainly had not expected a child to be out in the woods.

"Well done Roy," Ebony interjected sarcastically.

Roy wheeled around, "What? How was I supposed to know it was a child?"

Ebony slung Archimedes back over her shoulder with an exasperated sigh, "Just… put the sword away, I'll see if I can get her to come out."

Roy slid Black Orchid into its sheath and followed behind Ebony at a short distance. She knelt in the snow a short distance from the tree, holding her hand out to the girl in a silent invitation.

"Honey..." Ebony coaxed, "Come on out, we won't hurt you. We're here to help."

The child peeked out from behind the tree, her brilliant blue eyes flashing out from behind tangled black hair. Her lip quivered and a moment later, she slid back behind the tree.

"Oh sweetheart," Ebony sighed, moving one step closer, "You're safe, please come out."

Roy fidgeted with Black Orchid's pommel, "Maybe Dahlia…" he trailed off.

"No, wait. I have one more idea I want to try." Ebony whispered, shedding her coat and allowing her large fluffy tail to stand up and wave slowly. The child looked around the tree again and this time her eyes widened in wonder.

"Come on honey," Ebony soothed, "I don't bite."

The child moved toward them slowly but surely. She still appeared to be very wary of them, scurrying back several feet every so often as if seeing if they would chase her. Ebony stood patiently, holding her coat open for the tiny human. As the child drew near, it became clear that she was about three to four years of age. Her black hair fell to the small of her back, almost concealing her cobalt blue eyes. She was wearing a set of blue pajamas and Roy realized with a sinking feeling that her left side was stained with blood.

The girl finally stumbled into Ebony's waiting arms and the faunus bundled her up tightly, holding the shivering girl close to warm her with her own body heat. As Roy leaned down to check the girl for injury, he felt her suddenly grasp one of his faunus ears with her tiny hands. He snapped his head back at the contact, pulling his ear from her grasp. The girl kept her eye outstretched toward him, her sad eyes practically yanking on his heartstrings. He quickly leaned back down, allowing the girl to touch the furry appendages once more.

"You big softie," Ebony whispered, rocking the child gently as she inspected her. "No injuries, Thank the Gods. Poor thing, where do you think she came from?"

Roy bit back a purr as the child began scratching his right ear. "I have a hunch, I just hope I'm wrong," he gestured to Ebony, "Could you distract her with your tail for a bit?"

Ebony smiled smugly, "Oh I don't know, she looks happy enough with your ears."

Roy shot her a slightly panicked look as the child started to tug lightly at his ear. Ebony rolled her eyes and, grasping her tail in her hands, she tickled the child on the cheek. Her attention successfully claimed, the child silently switched targets and began stroking Ebony's fluffy tail. Ebony hugged the girl tighter and started to purr softly, causing the child to smile ever so slightly. Roy straightened up, beckoning Hunter and Dahlia over. Dahlia moved past him to fawn over the child, taking out some of the team's food to feed her.

Hunter shot a sidelong glance at Roy, "What are we going to do?"

Roy ran his hands through his hair, deep in thought. They needed to get the girl back to town, but he needed to make sure that the people at the farms were okay. "I think we need to divide and conquer on this one. Ebony, do you mind taking the girl back to town?"

Ebony straightened up, still holding the girl in her arms, "I was just about to suggest that; we need to get this one warm and fed as soon as possible."

Roy turned to Dahlia, "Do you mind going with, Lia?"

Dahlia shook her head, "Not at all, I'll make sure Eb and this little cutie get back to Ulmsted in one piece."

Roy nodded in thanks, turning his attention to Hunter, "You have any problems coming with me to the outlying farms?"

Hunter looked unhappy, "I don't like the idea of letting these two go off alone,"

Dahlia blew a raspberry, grinning at her boyfriend, "Oh please Hunter, How many times have I beaten you at sparring?"

The bigger boy didn't smile, "This is different! We're not fighting each other anymore, we're fighting grimm!"

Dahlia's playful smile faded and she approached Hunter, taking his large hand in her smaller one, "I know you're worried, but believe me; I'll get us back safely. I promise."

Hunter sighed and turned back to Roy, "Let's go to the farms."

The faunus nodded to him before turning to address the ladies "Okay, we'll meet you back in town at 4:30."

Ebony lifted the girl, gently cradling her in her arms, "Sounds good, you'd better come back in one piece, you hear?"

Roy wiggled his ears at her, "Loud and clear. See you guys soon."

Both parties went their separate ways, the girls disappearing into the woods towards the town and the boys continuing on toward the nearest farm. Roy had unsheathed Black Orchid and moved forward at a light jog, wanting to reach the farm as quickly as possible.

After about two minutes, he spotted a large clearing through the trees ahead of him. He slowed to a walk, coming to a halt just inside the edge of the forest. His hand tightened on his sword's handle as he took in the sight before him.

The fence around the farm had been trampled flat, numerous claw marks scoring the ground around the fallen posts. Grimm milled around the farmyard and surrounding fields, eyes glowing menacingly.

"I count eight grimm in total," Roy whispered to Hunter.

The taller boy nodded, "You wanna just go for it?"

Roy nodded, "Let's try to get a little closer first."

The two boys crept out from the forest fringe and made their way to a large haystack that stuck out of the middle of the field. Roy peered around the large mound of alfalfa and pointed to a beowolf nearest to them, "I'll take that one."

Hunter nodded, "I'll take that one then." He whispered, pointing to another beowolf off to the right.

Roy nodded and held up three fingers._ 3._ He counted internally, putting a finger down. _2._ Hunter gripped his weapon tighter and braced his foot, readying himself for the mad dash forward _1!_

Roy slashed his hand forward and dashed out from behind the haystack, Hunter close on his heels. The beowolf he'd marked spun around just in time for Black Orchid to spear it through the chest.

Whipping his sword out of the corpse, Roy turned to face a charging ursa. The large grimm roared and swung a large paw in his direction. Flipping backwards, Roy felt the rush of air as the ursa's razor sharp claws missed him by inches. He landed neatly on two feet and charged forward once more, unleashing a flurry of slashes. His sword clanged loudly as it bounced off of the grimm's boney mask, sending reverberations up his arm. Roy backpedaled, barely dodging the ursa's vengeful swipe. His mind raced, trying furiously to remember the ursa's weak spot.

_The base of the neck!_

A plan quickly formed in his head and he danced on the balls of his feet in front of the ursa. He dodged the ursa's first few blows and darted forward, nipping the grimm with the tip of his sword. The grimm finally lost its temper and slammed both paws down, attempting to crush the faunus. Roy dove behind the ursa, the mud from the ground clinging to his coat as he rolled to his feet. Roy braced himself and jumped, landing precariously on the ursa's broad shoulders. Gripping one of the bony protrusions on the grimm's back, he stabbed his sword down into the grimm's thick neck. His blade struck true with a shunk, cutting through flesh and bone on its devastating path through the beast.

The ursa gurgled, slumping to the ground and Roy had to somersault off the falling beast to preserve his footing. Landing solidly on his feet, he charged away, tearing through several more grimm as he went. Black Orchid practically danced in his hands, its silver steel flashing in the sun as it poked through the clouds. He'd just relieved another beowolf of its head, when Hunter came crashing through the wall of the large barn that took up most of the farm's center.

Roy ran over to his teammate and began checking him for major injuries, "Are you okay?"

Hunter shook his head as if to clear it, "Y-yeah, I don't think my aura broke."

Roy flicked his scroll open to check. Hunter's aura was in the orange, causing Roy's scroll to give off a quiet beeping; the sound meant to alert him to his teammates' decreased aura. Snapping his scroll shut, Roy pulled Hunter to his feet.

"What was in the barn?" he asked.

Hunter regarded the ragged hole in the barn warily, "a great big grumpy ursa major."

Roy did a double take at the hole, "Wait, What!?"

The entire wall of the barn heaved outward and exploded in a shower of splinters. A giant ursa stood before them, its massive back spikes gleaming in the sun. The beast opened its maw and let loose a deafening roar. Roy fell to one knee, clutching his human ears and flattening his faunus ears to his head. It felt like steel pins were being driven into his brain. Hunter moved to stand between the grimm and his teammate, waiting until the ursa's war cry had ceased before speaking.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked as Roy dragged himself back to his feet.

Dusting himself off, Roy nodded, "Yeah, let's give it a try."

The two of them had been working on a team attack since the middle of the semester. As of yet, it didn't have a name. Roy and Hunter took up their positions, eyeing the ursa major as it snorted and clawed the dirt in front of it. They darted forward in sync, making it near impossible for the ursa to decide who to attack first. At the last second, Roy dropped back allowing Hunter to strike first. The larger boy used his semblance to erase Roy from the grimm's vision and, at the same time, unleashed a hefty strike across the grimm's chest. Roy flew in before the beast recovered, landing in front of Hunter with a "Now!" Hunter clenched his fist and sent a massive punch into Roy's back.

Roy activated his semblance, pouring the momentum from the punch and the kinetic energy he'd absorbed into a massive slash to the ursa major's torso. The grimm reeled back, its paws rising to protect itself. Roy deftly twirled Black Orchid and went in for the kill, his sword point speeding toward the beast's chest. The grimm suddenly reared back, letting out another ear-splitting roar. Roy tried to keep up the attack, but the wave of sound crashed over him, causing him to drop like a stone and curl into a ball. He barely heard the cry of warning from Hunter before the grimm's massive paw slammed into him.

The impact of the blow didn't shatter Roy's aura. What dealt the final blow was the middle wall of the barn as the faunus smashed through it.

Roy lay winded among the shards of wood, his lungs crying out for air as he tried to recover. A loud panicked beeping drew his attention to his scroll, warning him that his aura had all but evaporated. Roy sat up groggily, fighting through the waves of nausea that accompanied complete aura depletion. He put his hand out, desperately searching for Black Orchid's handle. His fumbling hand finally closed over the warm leather-wrapped handle and he stood, stumbling out of the barn. His ears swiveled furiously, searching for signs of his teammate.

"Roy?" he heard a voice calling from his left.

Spinning toward the sound, he spotted Hunter on top of the farmhouse porch. The ursa major paced to and fro below him, occasionally taking a swipe at the stone support posts. Roy chewed his lip as he thought the situation over. With his aura gone, he was incredibly vulnerable to attacks, but Hunter needed him and needed him now. Making his decision, he spun Black Orchid's dust cylinder to the blue chamber. The sword's blade began to glow blue as Roy bolted forward with a wild yell. The grimm wheeled to face him, a great growl rumbling from its throat as it charged. Roy spun Black Orchid in his grip and buried his sword point in the turf. He could feel the ground shake under the claws of the ursa major as it rushed toward him, teeth bared.

The grimm reared back, preparing to bring its paw smashing down onto the faunus. For a crucial second, its unarmored underbelly was exposed. Seizing his chance, Roy pulled the trigger on Black Orchid's handle and sent a massive spike of ice shooting out of the ground into the grimm's stomach

"Hunter!" Roy yelled, "Now!"

Hunter leapt from the porch roof, Venus cleaving through ursa major's neck as he came down. The taller boy landed on one knee with a thud, his chest heaving as though he'd just run a marathon. A similar thud sounded a split second later as the grimm's head hit the ground. Roy pulled Black Orchid from the ground and limped forward to help Hunter to his feet.

"You okay?" he asked, barely managing to get Hunter up.

Hunter put his weight on his left foot and winced, "I think I scraped my shin on one of the ursa's spines as I came down. My aura must've been lower than I thought."

Roy leaned wearily against the porch's support post and held up his beeping scroll, "I think I have you beat."

Hunter grimaced at Roy's missing aura bar on the readout, "We should check out the farm house, then get out of here."

Roy nodded, "Agreed, I'd rather not meet anything else right now."

Striding forward, Roy tried the door and found it unlocked. Twisting the brass knob, he eased the door open. All the lights were out and most of the curtains were drawn leaving the inside of the house in darkness. The smell of blood immediately assaulted Roy's nose as he stepped inside and his hand flew up to stifle the stench. He took several steps into the house and came upon a horrifying sight.

A man and a woman lay sprawled out in puddles of their own blood on the sitting room floor. The woman was face down and the man was face up, his eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling. Roy heard Hunter gag and bolt outside. Ignoring his teammate, Roy moved forward into the room and knelt beside the woman. Roy noticed an imprint in the blood on her left side. It was about the same size and shape of a small child, Roy's mind flashed back to the bloodstains on the girl's pajamas and his heart sank. Had the child played dead with her parents to avoid the grimm or had she curled up next to her mother's corpse, waiting for her to awaken?

Shaking his head sadly, Roy gently rolled the woman's body over and cradled her head. She was wearing a light blue sweater that would have been quite beautiful had it not been stained with blood from the multiple stab wounds in her chest. Her eyes were open, glassy and unseeing like her husband's. Roy gently closed her eyes and he lowered her back down, his arm that had been under her head coming away bloody. He inspected her head more closely and found the ragged remains of two fleshy appendages on top of her head just under her hair. Roy's blood ran cold as he realized what they were and he felt bile rising in the back of his throat.

Turning quickly away, Roy began to inspect the man's corpse. The body had no stab wounds, evidence to the fact that he'd probably not been the main target. The cause of death in his case was a very nasty looking skull fracture at the back of his head. Gently shutting the man's eyes, Roy proceeded to hunt around for any clues he could find. The room was completely trashed and try as he might, he couldn't find any clear footprints or hand prints anywhere in the room.

The only thing he managed to dig up was the remains of a family photo. Roy gently slid the fragile paper out of the smashed frame and contemplated it quietly. The mother was laughing brightly and the father was smiling, his arm around his wife. Sitting on the mother's lap was the girl they'd found in the woods, her eyes sparkling brightly out of the picture. Roy turned and slowly retraced Hunter's path outside. He found his teammate sitting outside on the front steps, staring out over the snow covered fields. Roy made sure to step audibly as he approached, alerting Hunter to his presence.

The larger boy looked up apologetically at him, "Sorry," he began, "I've just…"

"Never seen a dead body before?" Roy finished, wiping his hands on the snow, creating a pink stain on the otherwise spotless snow. Straightening up with a sigh, he handed Hunter the photo.

His teammate's face fell slightly as he saw who the girl in the photo was, "That's…"

"The girl we found? Yeah, it is," Roy finished sadly.

Hunter's hand shook, causing the photograph to tremble in his grip, "Gods damn these grimm!" he ground out.

Roy wiped Black Orchid's blade clean with a handful of snow. "It's worse than grimm Hunter." he stated.

Hunter looked incredulous, "What could be worse than two humans massacred by grimm?"

Roy slid Black Orchid back into its sheath with a snap. "The fact that they were murdered, the husband was killed by a blow to the back of the head. What grimm do you know kills with blunt force?"

Hunter thought for a moment, "A boarbatusk… or a beringel" he offered.

"Maybe," Roy continued, "But why didn't we find any sign of boarbatusks or beringels around?"

He gripped Black Orchid's handle harder. "Also the wife isn't human, she's a faunus. Look closer at the picture."

Hunter scanned the photo and made a noise of surprise, "I see now, Cat ears…" He paused, his eyes growing sad. "That's why the girl latched onto you." he said quietly.

Roy's heart clenched as he realized Hunter was right. "The wife was killed violently. She'd been stabbed and…" Roy's throat constricted, "And…" he couldn't say it.

Hunter couldn't take the suspense, "And what? Spit it out Roy!"

"Her faunus ears were cut off," Roy finally managed to say, sadness and anger causing his voice to shake.

The wind whistled through the surrounding pine trees as both boys fell silent.

"We need to get back to town," Hunter said, finally breaking the silence.

Roy looked out at the shadowy trees; each one now seeming far more menacing now that a murderer could be hiding behind them. "Not just yet…"

**And the plot thickens. I've never had a character who is a child before and I enjoy the girl's character very much. We will learn more about her soon don't worry. Also are you guys enjoying the longer chapters? I keep them this long for the most part so get used to it XD.**

**Until next we meet!**

**Ar3mRising. **


	7. Chapter 6: A Bath and Some Banter

The sun had all but vanished behind the western mountains by the time the two boys made it back to Ulmsted.

Getting around to the remaining farms had taken almost three hours and afterwards, Roy had insisted on searching the woods around Ulmsted for any sign of the killer. But, after three more fruitless hours of combing through the woods, he had to admit their quarry had evaded them and begrudgingly followed Hunter back to town.

Along the way, they'd encountered several small groups of beowolves. The two boys had dispatched the grimm, but not before Roy received a shallow claw wound on his arm and Hunter's aura had been broken. Once the grimm had been dealt with, Roy had quickly stopped by the sweet spot. Once more, the call refused to go through and he finally admitted defeat. By the time they made it back to the Naked Nevermore, it was well past 4:30.

"I think the girls are going to have our heads," Hunter mumbled as the two boys walked towards the tavern.

Roy grimaced as he realized he'd turned off his scroll before informing Ebony of their impromptu patrol.

"It's been nice knowing you," he mumbled as they walked into the tavern.

Roy spotted Ebony and Dahlia sitting by the fireplace. The child, still swaddled in Ebony's coat, was currently slumbering peacefully in the faunus's lap. Ebony looked over as the door thudded closed and her eyes narrowed as she saw them. She gently handed the girl to Dahlia and stood up to confront the two boys, her finger leveled at Roy, "You said we'd meet back here at 4:30. It's almost 7:00!"

Roy realized that both girls looked a little worse for wear, both of them bearing several scratches and bruises.

"I'm sorry Eb," he said softly.

"I hope you are," Ebony huffed, hands on her hips. "We ran into a big group of grimm on the way back and I was worried about you!"

Hunter gently touched the female faunus' arm, "Ebony please, just let him explain."

Ebony took a deep breath and nodded her head at Roy, signaling him to begin.

"We got to the first farm and found the girl's parents murdered," he said quietly.

All of the annoyance in Ebony's face drained in an instant; her hand flying to her mouth. "Murdered?!" she exclaimed.

"Shhhhhh!" Roy hushed her, glancing around wildly.

No one seemed to have noticed Ebony's outburst. Nonetheless, he continued speaking in a quieter tone. "Once we found their bodies, we thought it would be wise to check the remaining farms."

Ebony gripped the back of a nearby chair to steady herself, her knuckles going white from the force of her grip. "Murdered… Are you sure they weren't just killed by grimm?"

Roy shook his head, "They were killed by weapons. The husband was killed by a blow to the head and the wife was stabbed to death. She was a faunus; she had cat ears and they'd been sliced off"

"Gods above!" Ebony exclaimed, her face going pale.

Roy quickly pressed a finger to his lips, "Ebony please, if word of this gets out we'll have a panic on our hands."

Ebony lowered her voice, "I'm sorry. Do you have any leads?"

Roy moved over to the fire and leaned on the mantle. "No," He said, "But I swear I'll find who did it."

His left hand gripped the wood of the mantle, causing it to creak in protest.

Ebony moved to Roy's side and gently gripped his shoulder, "I don't know Roy, huntsmen and huntresses don't usually solve murders. We really should wait until Rainere gets back. We're not prepared for this."

Roy sighed, "We can't wait long, if we wait too long the trail will get cold. First, we need to figure out what to do with…" He shot a quick glance at the girl, still slumbering peacefully in Ebony's coat and motioned towards her.

"Sadie," Ebony cut in, "We're calling her Sadie."

Roy lips quirked upwards in a small smile, "That's a pretty name."

Ebony shrugged, "It's the name Momo called her when we brought her in."

Roy took a moment to process this, "Has the girl said anything?"

Ebony shook her head, "Not a peep."

Roy sighed, rubbing his tired eyes, "Can't say I'm surprised. I wouldn't be talking much if I'd seen what she did."

As if on cue, the girl suddenly started squirming in her sleep; her breathing becoming frantic. Dahlia did her best to comfort her, but the girl only became more panicked.

Roy quickly walked over to Dahlia and held his arms out to her, "Here, let me try."

Dahlia nodded and gently lay the girl in Roy's arms. The child snapped awake, her frantic blue eyes finding Roy's face. He rocked her gently, speaking in low tones to soothe her. "Shhhh..You're okay sweetheart, go back to sleep."

The girl seemed reluctant to fall asleep again. But in the end, her fatigue won out over her caution and her eyes fell closed. Her breathing returned to normal, her body relaxing in Roy's arms as she fell asleep once more. Dahlia watched Roy's interaction with Sadie, a look of wonder on her face.

"Since when are you so good with kids?" she whispered.

"I'm not!" Roy hissed, gently passing the slumbering child back to her. "I just did what my mother used to do when I was a kid."

Turning to Ebony, he gave her an apologetic look, "Sadie will be staying with us tonight. I hope you don't mind."

Ebony hurriedly shook her head, "Oh no, not at all! But…" she looked toward Sadie, "She does need a bath and we should find someone else for her to stay with."

Roy nodded and waved Momo over,

"What can I do for you?" the barmaid asked.

"Is there any way we could have a bath prepared?" He asked. He noticed her eyes give him a once over, obviously noting his numerous scrapes and cuts from the farmhouse. "For the girl," he explained quickly, gesturing once more to the small child.

"Oooohh," Momo said with a sheepish smile, "Yes, we should be able to get a bath set up for you no problem."

Roy nodded, glancing at his scroll to check the time. "How long will that be?" he asked.

"About 20 minutes give or take, we have to heat the water over a fire."

Hunter blinked, "That doesn't seem efficient. Don't you guys have hot running water?" he asked.

Momo nodded, "Of course we do, it's just that here at the Naked Nevermore, we provide our patrons with a taste of the old days."

Ebony held up her hands, "We get it, you don't need to give us the sales pitch."

Momo coughed politely, ignoring Ebony's response. "If you don't mind me asking, why is Sadie with you? Did something happen at her house?"

Roy struggled to keep his face passive as his mind frantically tried to formulate a response.

"Momo! Stop standing around while there's work to be done!"

The shout drew Roy's attention to the door of the inn where Corvatts had just entered, stamping the snow from his boots. Momo jumped slightly and hurried away, mumbling excuses as she went. Corvatts grumbled to himself as he stumped across the bar and vanished into the bar's backroom. The barman wasn't wearing a coat, which struck Roy as slightly odd. Regardless, he let out a sigh of relief; with Momo's attention diverted, he now had time to come up with an appropriate excuse for Sadie's presence. Hunter moved over to Dahlia and looked down at her, an affectionate look creeping into his eyes. Dahlia lifted the child up with a delighted look on her face, eager to share the little bundle with him.

Ebony came over to Roy, her arms folded and brow furrowed. "What are we going to do with her?"

Roy shot a glance at their other two teammates looking down lovingly at the child. "I…" he let out a tired sigh, "I don't know, we have to be careful. If we keep her around too long then people will start to ask questions. It's not safe to leave her with just anyone because we still don't know who murdered her parents or if she saw anything."

Dahlia tilted her head quizzically, "Why does it matter if she saw something?"

Roy chewed his lip as he scanned the group of fishermen in the corner. "It makes her a witness; she can identify who the murderer is. Leaving her with anyone we don't trust is… Dangerous."

Ebony's eyes darkened as she perceived his meaning and her tail thrashed angrily from side to side. "If I catch the person responsible… I don't know what I'll do," she growled.

Roy nodded, "I'll be right there with you."

He and Ebony lapsed into silence as they watched Dahlia gently rock the child. A short time later, someone politely cleared their throat behind them. They turned to see Momo standing there holding several towels, shampoo, and a bar of soap.

"The bath is ready. We decided to set it up in your room because it's the larger of the two," she said, handing the towels to Ebony before bowing and walking primly away.

Ebony shot Roy an eye roll and walked over to Dahlia. Reaching down, she gently shook the girl, "Sweetie, it's time to wake up."

Sadie stirred and opened her big blue eyes, yawning widely as she did.

Dahlia cooed and swept her up in her arms, "Come on little one! Let's go get you clean." The girl put her arms around Dahlia's neck and buried her face in her shoulder.

Ebony smiled and gently stroked Sadie's back before turning to address Roy, "You boys stay here, we'll call you when the bath is done."

Roy smiled and flicked his ears playfully at his teammate. "I hope it goes well!"

The three girls left the room and Hunter sank down into one of the armchairs in front of the fire.

"I don't get why I have to stay put," he grumbled, "The bath isn't even in our room."

Roy shrugged as he took the neighboring armchair, "No clue here, women have always been complete mysteries to me."

Hunter looked into the fire with a sigh, resigning himself to waiting until the girls called them.

The two boys sat together silently as the fire died in the hearth. Momo brought them steaming mugs of hot chocolate, refusing Roy's offer of payment,

"You both deserve these," She said, "Besides, I gave the girls some earlier so it's only fair."

The excepted the mugs, finishing the hot chocolate in short order. Hunter lightly dozed in his chair and Roy watched the last flames flicker faintly. The coals glowed a dull orange in the semi darkness, not unlike the Ursa Major's glowing eyes from earlier. As he sat there, his thoughts inevitably turned to the carnage at the farmhouse. The sight of the wife's tattered ears was still as fresh in his mind's eye as it had been several hours earlier.

"Hunter?" his voice cut through the silence, sounding loud in his ears.

"Hm?" his taller teammate responded, cracking an eyelid to look over at him.

"Didn't Reese say something about this town not liking faunus?"

Hunter thought for a moment, "He said they 'Weren't too keen on them.' Whatever that means."

Roy chewed his lip, "I thought he meant they disliked them, but I think this goes beyond a simple prejudice. Someone in this town was willing to murder a faunus for gods' sake."

Roy rubbed his eyes, letting out a muffled groan, "I think I'll talk to Father Umber about it tomorrow."

Hunter grunted, something in his tone betraying his dislike for the idea.

Roy shot a glance at his teammate, "What?"

Hunter leaned forward in his chair, "I just got this uneasy feeling from him when we were talking to him earlier."

Roy blinked in surprise, "Really? I didn't get that."

Hunter held his hand up, "Eh, Maybe it's just me then."

Roy shrugged, flourishing his hand dismissively. "Or maybe I've been distracted by the entire town looking at me like I'm something horrible."

Hunter looked at the floor awkwardly and Roy realized how his comment must've sounded. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong."

Hunter waved his apology away, "No, you're right, I can't imagine what it's like."

Roy started to argue, but stopped as he felt something wet hit his right cat ear. He flicked it and looked up just in time to catch another drop directly in his eye.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, scrubbing his eye furiously.

Hunter looked up as well, "Huh," he said, bemused. "It appears to be raining from the ceiling."

Sure enough, a steady dripping of water could be seen falling from between the floorboards of the upper level.

Roy quickly got up and motioned Momo over, "What's directly above the fireplace?" he asked, pointing at the ceiling.

Momo looked up and squeaked as a drop landed squarely between her eyes. "Nothing really," she said, wiping her forehead with a dishcloth. "Just…." she trailed off, "Your room"

Roy's eyebrow rose and he scratched his head."I'll ...just go see what's going on." he said, moving toward the stairs.

"I'll come with you" Hunter offered, quickly following after Roy.

As Roy reached the door to his room, his keen ears picked up the sound of laughing and splashing. He slowly reached for the door handle and wrenched the door open, revealing the scene inside.

There were soap suds everywhere; on the ceiling, the walls, and liberally covering the floor. The two girls of team SHDE stood with buckets of water at the ready. Dahlia was completely soaked and Ebony's lower half was drenched. The faunus' tail was slowly dripping water onto the floor, a sorry shell of its former self. Sadie was still sitting in the tub, her black hair cascading around her as she silently watched her two caregivers.

"What in all of Remnant is going on up here?" Roy asked.

The two girls flinched at the sound of his voice and Ebony lowered her bucket, looking sheepish.

"Um well, you see…" she stammered, the color rising in her cheeks.

"Sadie's gonna have to sleep with one of us," Dahlia interrupted, "So we were having a...lady's quarrel about who it should be."

Roy struggled to keep himself from face palming, "Did your lady's quarrel have to soak the whole room? There's water dripping through the ceiling downstairs!"

Dahlia and Ebony both became very interested in the floor and Roy sighed in exasperation, "Could you please finish up Sadie's bath? Once all of you are dry and dressed, we'll decide where she sleeps."

Ebony nodded and grabbed a towel that had miraculously stayed dry the entire time.

"Thank you," Roy said before exiting the room to give the girl's their privacy.

A short time later, Team SHDE, Momo and Sadie stood inside the room. The room had been cleaned and the soap suds had been disposed of, leaving a fresh scent in the air. Dahlia and Ebony had changed into dry clothes, while Sadie was wearing a T-shirt of Ebony's that looked like a nightgown on her small frame.

"Okay," Roy said, "Here's what I came up with; Momo, you take Sadie and stand at the center of the room. Dahlia, you and Ebony stand at opposite ends of the room. When I give the signal, let Sadie go and we'll see who she chooses."

Dahlia pouted slightly, "She's not going to choose me, I don't have a fluffy butt snake."

Ebony bristled slightly, "It's a tail Lia! A tail!"

"Same difference" Dahlia grumbled as she walked to her side of the room.

Once everyone was in place, Roy nodded to Momo. The barmaid knelt down with Sadie and gently faced her toward the center of the room, "Alright sweetie, go on."

The tiny girl shot a few quick glances at the girls before her eyes settled on Roy.

He smiled reassuringly, "Go on Sadie."

Sadie's eyes remained firmly locked on him and a realization hit Roy like a ton of bricks, "Oh, guys, don't be mad at me please…" he said, backing into the windowsill.

Ebony's eyes narrowed, "Mad at you for what?" She asked.

Roy turned to answer and the next thing he knew, Sadie was hugging him tightly around the middle. The two girls made indignant noises and Hunter turned away to hide a wide grin. Roy reached down and picked Sadie up, trying his best to explain.

"Her mother is a cat faunus. I'm sorry, I should've left...the…"

His apologies died away as he noticed how the girls were looking at him. All three of them were looking at him like he was a cat with its kitten. Ebony clapped her hands and turned to Dahlia, "I think that settles it. Sadie will stay with Roy tonight."

Dahlia nodded in agreement, "I'm good with that, it would've been crowded in our bed anyway," she said, giving Roy a thumbs up.

Roy blinked in surprise, "B-but… I... "

He looked down and found himself transfixed by the vibrant blue gaze of Sadie's eyes.

"Well… Maybe just for tonight." he said, finally caving to the expectant stare of the deep blue orbs.

Hunter snuck up behind Dahlia and swept her up into his arms, causing her to whoop in surprise. "Come on you, we should get to bed."

Momo followed them to the door, offering Roy one final curtsy before shutting the door behind her. Roy made a quick run to the small bathroom down the hall to brush his teeth, then stayed to watch Sadie while Ebony took her turn. She returned and they all settled down for the night. At first, Roy found it difficult to fall asleep with Sadie curled up beside him. He tried sleeping with his arm folded under his head but after the sixth time his arm fell asleep in that position, he gingerly allowed the girl to cuddle his arm.

Having finally found a comfortable sleeping position, Roy dropped off; the long day easing his journey into dreams.

**A bath sure does sound good right now. It's snowing here in cheese land and I am cold. Momo and Sadie are two characters I came up with for this book, and I keep trying to figure out a way for them to appear in my main story. I haven't figured it out yet but I'll get it someday!**

**Until next we meet,**

**Ar3mRising. **


	8. Chapter 7: What Lurks Beneath The Loch

Roy opened his eyes the next morning as the strains of an Atlesian pop song permeated his tired brain. He gently extricated his arm from the tiny girl's grip and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eye. Across the room, Ebony finally succeeded in turning her alarm off. She stretched, yawning widely and revealing her sharp canines. The sun was shining through the large window behind her bed, the light giving her a beautiful haloed silhouette. Roy realized he was staring and quickly looked away. He heard the neighboring bed's springs squeak as Ebony got up and crossed to Roy's side of the room.

"How's Sadie this morning?" she asked, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of the girl.

Roy smiled softly and moved the covers aside to reveal the tiny human curled up, still very much asleep. "She slept well, all things considered. I think we should let her sleep. Peaceful nights are going to be a luxury in the future."

As carefully as he could, Roy slid out of bed and proceeded to get dressed. "I'm going to go talk to Father Umber about what we found."

Ebony remained sitting on the bed, gently stroking the girl's hair. "Do you want me to come with?"

Roy shook his head as he clasped up his coat and slung Black Orchid on his hip, "No, I'm fine doing this alone."

Ebony nodded and gently tucked Sadie back into bed, "Sounds good, I'll stay and watch over the little one."

She sighed, her eyes gazing out of the window at the dingy street below her, "I hope Mr. Rainere comes back soon."

Roy grunted as he slipped his gloves on. "Like I said, we'll start looking for him if he isn't back by tomorrow. He's the only chance we have of getting answers now that we know our scrolls have no signal. Anyway, I'll be back once I fill Father Umber in."

Ebony raised her hand in farewell as he exited the room. Closing the door behind him, Roy descended the stairs and exited the tavern. Stepping into the street, he walked in the church building's general direction. It was still early morning, but the town's fishermen were already bustling to and fro around the streets; preparing for the day's work. As Roy walked, he kept one hand on Black Orchid's pommel at all times. The almost welcoming aura of the town's businesses and shop stalls had been spoiled. Soured by the murders that hung over Ulmstead like a cloud.

He could almost feel resentful eyes on him and quickened his pace, wanting to get off the streets as quickly as he could. The frigid cold that had crept in the night before nipped at Roy's nose and ear tips as he finally reached the church. He slipped inside and shut the door behind him with a quiet thud. As Roy stomped the snow from his boots, A red light from the open door of the sanctuary caught his attention. Roy felt his feet moving in the direction of the door and before he knew it, he was inside.

The red light he'd seen came from countless tiny candles that covered the altar and the end of each pew. Roy walked down the center aisle, his boots making no noise on the blood red carpet. As he got closer to the statue at the front of the room, he began to fully grasp how large the statue actually was. It towered over him by almost three feet, the figure's head being almost the same size as Roy's torso.

The statue depicted the figure of an adult man, standing with his hip cocked and one leg set slightly forward. The figure's face was featureless, with two large curving ram horns adorning its head. Its right hand was held aloft with a nevermore perched, wings outstretched, on its open palm. Its other hand rested affectionately on the head of a beowolf. A red cloth covered the base of the statue and it appeared as if there was more sculpting beneath it.

Roy was just entertaining the idea looking under the cloth when a voice spoke from behind him. "Ah! Roy. I was wondering when I would see you again."

Roy turned to see Father Umber moving down the aisle toward him. "Good morning Father, did you have a restful night?"

Father Umber smiled, coming to a stop next to Roy. "I did, thank you for asking." He gestured at the statue, "Beautiful isn't it? We had it commissioned and sent all the way from Atlas. I've been told the same sculptor created the Great War memorial there."

Roy nodded, "I've seen it. Both statues are beautiful, who does this one portray?"

Father Umber leaned against one of the pews, "That is the God of destruction himself. Flanked by his children; the creatures of grimm."

Roy stayed silent for several seconds as he gave the statue one more look. Finally, he turned to Father Umber. "I'm sorry to say this isn't a courtesy call Father. I came to report on what we found at one of the outlying farmhouses."

Father Umber regarded Roy for a few moments, "From your tone, I take it that this would be a matter best discussed in my office."

Roy nodded, causing the reverend to let out a quiet sigh. "Very well, follow me."

The two of them made the short trip up to Umber's office, no words passing between them until the door clicked shut behind them.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" Father Umber said, "Coffee? Tea?"

Roy shook his head, "No, thank you." He sighed, trying his best to gather his thoughts. "I wish I was here for different reasons, but my team and I found something when we visited the outlying farms."

Father Umber's eyebrows knitted together as he frowned, "So you said. What did you find?"

Roy's hand tightened around Black Orchid's handle. "The husband and wife that live in the first farm… are dead."

Umber's eyes widened, "God have mercy," he breathed, "Were the grimm that bad?"

Roy shook his head, "They hadn't been killed by grimm. The husband died from a blow to the head and the wife died from multiple knife wounds to the chest. It was murder; pure and simple. "

Father Umber slumped down into his chair as if his legs had just given out. "The Harabels were good people! What kind of person would do such a thing?!" he asked, an edge of anger creeping into his normally level voice.

"There's more," Roy said slowly, "The woman was a faunus and she'd been brutalized."

The reverend looked up, his eyes narrowing, "What do you mean, brutalized?" Roy pointed to his own faunus ears, "Her ears were cut off. I have reason to believe she was still alive when it happened."

Father Umber's face went pale, his eyes betraying the utter shock he was feeling. "Oh gods...please tell me their little girl is okay."

Roy nodded, "We found her wandering alone in the woods."

Father Umber let out a relieved sigh, "Thank the gods for that."

Roy nodded again, "Indeed, we've decided to let her stay with us until we catch the person or people responsible."

Umber nodded, "You do what you think is best. I give you my full permission to do whatever you must to bring this animal to justice, whoever they are."

He gazed out of his office window, "It is odd that David Rainere hasn't returned yet."

Roy scanned the bookshelf to his left, perusing the titles as he spoke. "I agree, once I figure this whole thing out, I intend to go out looking for him."

Umber cocked an eyebrow and steepled his fingers, "Do you think that's wise?"

Roy's eyebrows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

Father Umber gestured out the window, "It's no secret that our community, well, isn't the most trusting of the faunus. If one were to start asking questions… things could get ugly."

Roy stiffened, his ears swiveling backwards in indignation. "Are you threatening me?" he growled.

"Heavens, no!" Umber rushed to assure him, "I'm just giving you some friendly advice. I like you Roy; you've got a good heart. I just want you to stay safe!"

Roy was taken aback by the Father's words, "I'm sorry father, I hope I didn't offend you."

Umber waived the apology away, "Think nothing of it. I can imagine how it must be. It's unfortunate that someone in our community was unable to quell their hateful urges."

Roy took a step forward, "Does this town have any sort of sheriff or peacekeeper? Solving murders isn't really part of a Huntsman's job."

The reverend shook his head, "Not at the moment. David Rainere actually served as our resident huntsman and keeper of the peace. He was the only real 'sheriff' we had."

Roy processed the information. "Interesting. Was he aware of how bad scroll reception was?"

Umber nodded, "he was, Which is why he communicated with your school via old fashioned paper postage."

Roy quickly made a mental note to write Glynda a letter as soon as possible and continued with his questions. "Do you have any suggestions on what we should do with Sadie?"

The reverend thought for a moment, "Well, I think keeping her with you would probably be wise. Just keep her out of sight as much as you can. If anyone does ask about her, just tell them to come and talk to me."

Roy nodded, "Will do. One last thing; do you have any idea who the murderer could be?"

Father Umber shook his head, "Alas, I do not. If I had any idea, I would-."

Father Umber was suddenly interrupted by the office door crashing open. Reese bounded through, pale faced and breathing hard. "Father! The feilong is attacking fishermen on the loch!"

Roy leapt to his feet, his scroll already in his hand as he typed out a hurried message to his team. "Keep everyone away from the loch," he ordered Reese, "My team and I will handle it."

He bolted from the room, practically leaping down the stairs before flying through the front doors into the snowy square. His boots tossed up chunks of snow and ice as he sprinted through the streets of Ulmsted. A thunderous roar split the morning air and he pushed himself to go even faster. He almost fell several times, his footing quite precarious on the snowy cobblestone streets. He somehow managed to stay on his feet, finally skidding to a halt on the town's waterfront.

The loch had frozen solid over the night before, producing ice that was almost a foot thick. Fishing tents and huts were scattered across the ice, several having been destroyed by chunks of ice that still lay scattered around the area. Towering over the loch's surface through a hole in the ice was a grimm feilong. It was impossible to determine the creature's length, but the part of it that was visible was a good 30 feet long. It was different from the diagram he'd seen in Port's class, lacking any sign of wings on its back. Its large head dipped downwards as it attempted to snatch up the fishermen fleeing for their lives.

Roy watched, horrified as one aged fisherman disappeared into the beast's jaws and realized he wouldn't be able to wait for his team. He sprinted down onto the ice, almost falling as his boots met the frozen water. Staying on his feet, he unsheathed Black Orchid and sprinted toward the massive grimm.

"Hey!" he yelled as he drew near, "Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back?!"

The feilong turned its burning orange gaze to the small faunus, lunging at him with a thunderous roar. Roy dove to the side and the beast's head smashed into the ice mere feet from him. The grimm slid back into the water, its scaly body seeming to go on forever until the last foot of its tail disappeared into the gray water. An uneasy peace settled over the loch as Roy stood ready, Black Orchid held loosely at his side. His ears swiveled to and fro, trying to catch a hint of the feilong's location. Some sixth sense made him look down and what he saw made his blood run cold. Orange eyes and long razor sharp teeth were surging up toward him from the depths. Roy threw himself sideways as the feilong smashed through the ice.

A chunk of the ice smashed into his back, sending him sliding across the frozen lake. As he came to a stop by one of the small tents, he heard a soft crying from inside. He quickly slipped inside and found a small boy with blonde hair huddled under a blanket.

"Hey," Roy whispered. The boy flinched and slid backwards away from the faunus. "Hey, I won't hurt you! What's your name?" he asked softly.

"Argead," the boy replied with a sniff.

The name was familiar, but in the moment Roy couldn't place it. A roar sounded from outside and Roy slid further into the tent. "Argead, I'm going to need you to stay really quiet for me."

The boy nodded, a low rumble sounded from outside the tent and a massive shadow fell across them. An orange eye drifted eerily past the tent, searching for its prey. Roy tracked the eye until it faded from view and the shadow lifted. He let out a sigh of relief, "I think we're…"

The tent was suddenly ripped away from above them, revealing the shocking blue of the sky. The feilong roared as it tossed the ragged chunk of the tent to the side, saliva dripping from its maw as it stared down at its victims. Roy placed the boy behind him and readied Black Orchid for the grimm's inevitable attack. His ears twitched as a sound reached them, growing steadily nearer.

"YaaAAHOOOOOOO!"

Dahlia appeared as black and green blur that shot toward the feilong. She buried her knives up to their hilts and pulled the triggers, peppering the beast's hide with shotgun rounds. The feilong reared back with a roar, desperately trying to dislodge her from its back. With the grimm's attention elsewhere, Roy hurriedly scooped up the boy and sprinted toward the shore passing his other teammates as they sprinted past him as they rushed to Dahlia's aid. Reaching the dock, Roy passed the boy off to a bystander and sprinted back towards the battle. His mind raced as he tried to formulate a proper battle strategy.

At the moment, the feilong was making it very hard to get any major hits in. It was like trying to hit a mole on one of those carnival games; it would show its head for a short time, then vanish beneath the ice. Roy caught sight of Ebony twirling Archimedes and an idea came into his head.

"Team!" he yelled to get their attention, "I think I've got a plan!"

He quickly outlined what he'd come up with to his teammates. If they could somehow create a conduit and channel the electricity into the grimm, they could fry it from the inside out. Roy's plasma bayonet he carried would act as the perfect conduit. The tricky part would be getting into a spot where a lethal bolt could be administered.

"Any ideas on how to do that would be welcome," he finished.

Ebony thought for a moment, "I can try freezing it when it comes out of the water. The best place to stick it would be just behind the bone mask at the base of the skull."

Roy nodded, "Okay, we'll try that."

"HEADS UP!" Dahlia yelled as a large chunk of ice flew toward them, thrown by the force of the feilong smashing through the ice once more.

Roy and Ebony rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the debris. Coming up on his feet, Roy spun Black Orchid's dust chamber to the blue ice dust. Next to him Ebony chambered a dust round into Archimedes. They looked at each other and nodded. Ebony shot forward and brought Archimedes down, encasing the feilong's body and the hole with a thick layer of ice. Roy slammed Black Orchid's point into the ice layer and pulled the trigger, a second layer of ice covering the first. The feilong squirmed and pulled desperately trying to break free.

"Dahlia!" Roy yelled, "Get over here! We need to get the bayonet into-"

The ice restraining the grimm exploded, the squirming muscular body of the feilong proving to be too much for it to hold. Roy was thrown back, ice shards cutting him and Black Orchid flying out of his hand as he bounced across the frozen loch. He heard Hunter yell a warning and looked up just in time to see the feilong lunge at him. The beast clamped its jaws down on his legs, his aura barely preventing the grimm's razor sharp teeth from taking them off. The feilong started recoiling its sinuous body back into the water, determined to pull the faunus into the shadowy depths of the loch. Roy unsheathed the bayonet and stabbed it deep into the ice, halting the forward momentum. Ebony darted over and grabbed his arm,

"Hold on Roy!" she screamed, desperately trying to keep a grip on him.

Roy doggedly hung onto the handle of the bayonet. Even as Ebony pulled him away, he could feel his aura draining rapidly as the feilong ground its teeth down on his leg. He desperately looked around for his other teammates. Hunter was sprinting over, desperate to reach them and Dahlia was swinging Tragodia into one of the grimm's large orange eyes. The grimm let out a shriek that vibrated through Roy's entire body and yanked hard on his legs.

The bayonet came free of the ice at the same time Roy's arm came free from Ebony's grip and Roy was swiftly dragged under the ice. The cold water drove the breath from his lungs in a stream of bubbles as the feilong released him and vanished back into the depths. Roy activated the plasma bayonet, the blue plasma casting the underside of the ice in a reddish light. He sensed movement in the water and spun around to find that the feilong had returned, rushing at him with its mouth agape.

Roy spun himself upside down and planted his feet against the ice, pushing off at the last second. He felt the bottom of the feilong's jaw brush his foot. Turning a quick somersault in the water, Roy latched onto the side of the grimm as it sped by. The deactivated bayonet clenched in his teeth, he used his bare hands to climb his way up to the beast's head. The feilong's sharp scales cut his hands badly and shredded the front of his coat. Despite the pain, he finally made it up to the grimm's head. Pulling his arm back, Roy activated the bayonet and stabbed it deep into the feilong's neck right at the base of the skull. The grimm smashed through the ice with a roar, desperate to escape the source of the pain.

A chunk of ice caught Roy in the head and he tumbled from the feilong's back, landing on the ice with a thud.

Ebony sprinted over and dropped to her knees next to him, "Thank the Gods. Roy! Are you okay?"

Roy coughed, expelling water from his lungs, "E-Eb…" he stammered, "The bayonet is in its back, do it now!"

Ebony nodded and stood, twirling Archimedes deftly. She chambered a yellow dust round and waited for the feilong to reappear. It smashed back into view with an ear splitting roar. Ebony shoved Archimedes skyward, launching a bolt of lightning that lanced toward the grimm and connected with the dagger handle. The feilong spasmed and jerked as the electricity fried it from the inside out, a gout of blood flashing from the side of its face as its eyes exploded. With one final gurgle, the giant grimm flopped down onto the ice like a piece of wet rope.

Roy stood shakily, his wet clothes sticking unpleasantly to his skin and blood just starting to trickle down his face from where the ice chunk cut him. Ebony was jumping up and down, pumping her fists in the air.

"Whooo!" she whooped, "We did it! Roy, we…"

Roy slowly slid down onto the ice as the shivering overpowered his ability to stand. The smile vanished from Ebony's face and she hurried back to Roy's side. "Dust! We need to get you back to the inn and get you warmed up!"

Dahlia and Hunter hurried over. Dahlia was clutching Roy's bayonet and Hunter was pulling off his thick wool coat to place it over Roy's shivering body.

"Uhhh, guys? Why is Roy leaving bloody handprints on the ice?" Dahlia asked, pointing to several red splotches.

Ebony quickly grabbed Roy's hands and examined them. Her stomach dropped as she saw that Roy's hands were covered in slashes and cuts; deeply scored by the wickedly sharp feilong scales.

"H-hunter," Ebony murmured, trying to keep her voice steady. "you're the strongest, can you carry him?"

Hunter nodded, picking Roy up and gently placing him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. Team SHDE moved toward the edge of the lake with Hunter in the lead and the two girls bringing up the rear. As the team neared the shore, they noticed a crowd of people had gathered at the top of the small staircase that led down directly onto the ice.

Hunter came to a stop, not wanting to shove or trample anyone. "Um…My teammate needs to get out of the cold, so could you please move aside?"

No one moved, they simply stood and regarded the team with impassive looks on their faces. Roy felt Hunter's arm tighten around him, the tall huntsman in training letting his voice sink to a growl. "Maybe I didn't make myself clear, get out of my way...NOW!"

He barked the last word and finally galvanized the townsfolk into moving. They parted down the middle, allowing the team to pass through.

"Finally," Hunter grumbled, "How are you feeling Roy?"

Roy barely heard his teammate's question. Did he ask how I feel? He thought groggily. I'm so tired ...but I feel...

"Warmer," he murmured.

Dahlia looked at Roy incredulously, "Warmer? But you're still shivering."

Ebony pressed her hand to Roy's cheek; it was ice cold. "He's beginning to show signs of Hypothermia. We need to get him inside now."

Hunter nodded and quickened his pace to a jog, the girls having to run to keep up with their teammate's longer strides. A few moments later they burst through the inn's front door, almost running over a patron in their hurry to get inside.

"Momo!" Hunter yelled and a second later, the petite barmaid came running from the kitchen.

"Dust! What happened?" she asked, using the back of her hand to check Roy's temperature, "Gods, he's freezing."

Hunter gently brushed past her, "He got pulled through the ice. We need a big fire built in the double room as soon as possible."

Momo nodded and scrambled to obey, "Right away!"

Hunter carried Roy upstairs to the room and gently set him down in front of the fireplace. Momo bustled in a few minutes later, a bundle of wood tucked under her arm. She set about building the fire, using small bits of tinder and a pinch of fire dust to stoke the flames. Soon, flames were crackling merrily away in the hearth. Ebony and Dahlia hovered around, watching Hunter begin to undo the clasps on Roy's ragged clothing.

The bigger boy paused as he noticed blood dripping onto the floorboards from his teammate's wounds. "Ebony, I need you to bandage up Roy's hands."

Ebony swooped in without a word, cleaning and wrapping up Roy's wounds in a matter of minutes.

"Thank you," Hunter murmured before finally unclasping Roy's coat, revealing his ragged shirt underneath.

He paused; feeling the girl's eyes on him, "Um...could you guys wait outside?"

Momo and Dahlia left without question, but Ebony lingered, her hands clenched by her sides.

"Eb…" Hunter said softly, "I'll take care of him, I promise."

Ebony nodded and slipped silently into the hall. Hunter quickly removed Roy's sodden clothes and wrapped the faunas in layers of blankets and quilts before setting him close to the fire once more. Crossing to the door, Hunter opened it to let the ladies back in. "Momo, I need something warm to drink, can you help with that?"

The barmaid nodded, "I think I have just the thing," she said and vanished into the hall.

Ebony walked forward and knelt by Roy. Reaching out, she made as if to touch his head, but thought better of it and clasped her hands tightly in her lap.

"Is he going to be alright?" she asked; her voice full of worry.

Hunter sat on the edge of Roy's bed and ran his hand through his brown hair. "He has a slight case of hypothermia. He'll just need to lie low for a bit and recover."

Momo took that moment to reenter the room, holding a tray containing several steaming mugs.

"Here, this should help." she said, handing a tin cup to Ebony.

The faunus accepted the mug and lifted Roy's head to help him drink. As soon as Roy swallowed the liquid, he made a face and coughed violently. Ebony set the mug down quickly and thumped Roy on the back.

"W-what's in that drink?" Roy sputtered weakly.

Ebony shot a glance at Momo, who was passing out the other mugs to Dahlia and Hunter.

The barmaid shrugged, "It's just some brandy," she replied.

"Bran-!?" Ebony stood facing the barmaid, her nose almost touching Momo's. "He's underage!" she exclaimed, pointing at Roy.

Hunter stepped in and laid a hand on Ebony's shoulder. "Ebony, brandy is actually one of the better options for treating hypothermia."

Ebony took a step back, her tail drooping in shame as she avoided eye contact with the barmaid. "I'm sorry Momo. I should've trusted your judgement."

Momo smiled softly as she handed Ebony a mug of what the faunus realized was tea, "No, no. I should've told you what was in it right off the bat. Hypothermia happens more often than you'd think around here so we're more than prepared for it."

Ebony sighed and took a sip of the tea, "How did Sadie behave today?" Momo smiled slightly at the small lump in Roy's bed, "As good as gold and better. She stayed here in the room most of the day. She only came down once."

Ebony quirked an eyebrow, "Really? What for?"

Momo shrugged, "I think she wanted something to eat. I made her a sandwich, but I had to bring it up here to give it to her."

Hunter looked at Sadie's slumbering form then back at Momo, "I thought you said she came down."

Momo nodded. "She did, but she bolted back upstairs when Corvatts came in to ask me something. She was hiding under the bed and shaking like a leaf when I found her."

Ebony and Hunter shared a look, "Interesting," Ebony muttered. Turning to Hunter and Momo, she offered them a small bow, "Thank you both for your help, I can take over Roy's care."

Momo curtsied, "If you need anything, just call."

With that, she turned and left the room. Dahlia mumbled something about having helped too before striding forward and gripping Hunter's hand.

"What she said," she quipped before she turned, gently leading Hunter into the hall and out of sight.

"Thank you too Lia." Ebony called after her before shutting the door behind them and busying herself with making sure Roy was comfortable. Once she'd finished, she gently withdrew one of Roy's hands from the blankets. She gently cradled the hand in hers and gently placed her other hand on her chest above her heart. She activated her semblance, a small halo appearing above her head as her aura manifested. Gently channeling her aura into Roy's hands, she gently began to heal the cuts on his palms.

The way the semblance worked was that she could create excess aura and pass it on to her teammates. She could also siphon away aura from other people and pass it on as well. Not very much, just a little here and there. She'd experimented with the healing capabilities of her semblance before, encouraged by Prof. Cobalt; Beacon's field medicine instructor. Unlike when she boosted her teammate's abilities, which was more like hitting them with a big hammer of aura, Healing required far more precision; her aura acting almost like a needle to seal up wounds. It was still hard for her to do and when she'd finished mostly healing the wounds on Roy's hand, a sheen of sweat was visible on her forehead.

Standing on shaky legs, Ebony walked to the ceramic basin near the window and doused her face with water. Sinking down onto her bed, she gazed steadily out of the window at the street below. What Momo had said about Sadie's reaction to Corvatts was certainly interesting and she was itching to learn more. A soft snore distracted her and she looked down at her charge. Roy had curled up in his blanket cocoon and fallen asleep.

Oh no you don't, Ebony thought, I have a question for you… She gently shook him awake and he awoke with a small groan.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," Ebony said quietly, "But I need to know if you have an estimated time of death on Sadie's parents."

Roy blinked owlishly as he tried to recall the state of the crime scene. "The blood hadn't dried quite yet. So, I'd put the time of death at about an hour or so before we arrived."

Ebony nodded as she processed this information, "Interesting…"

Roy gave her a suspicious look. "You're not thinking of investigating this on your own are you?" he asked as his eyelids started to droop once more.

Ebony held up her hands defensively, "No, that'd be foolish."

Roy nodded, "Ok, I'll help you investigate when I'm allowed out of bed."

Ebony laughed nervously, "Yep, I look forward to it. Get some rest now."

Roy grumbled something that sounded like, "I was resting," before pulling the blankets back over his head and turning over.

Ebony exited the room, trying her best to ignore the sick feeling festering in the pit of her stomach. She hated having to lie to him, but she knew that her team leader would never allow her to go off and investigate by herself. Pushing the feeling away, Ebony turned her attention to the matter at hand; her prime suspect. She headed downstairs and ordered some food from the bar. Over the next few hours, she watched Corvatts move around the inn and observed his mannerisms. From what she could see, the gruff inn keeper didn't seem the murdering type. A little rough around the edges, yes, but a faunus hating murderer? Ebony honestly couldn't see it. As she was typing some notes on her scroll, she heard someone approach her table.

Stowing her scroll away in her pocket, she looked up to see Reese standing in front of her.

"Evening lass," He said cheerily, "I was wondering where I might find your team leader."

Ebony offered the man a small smile, "Roy is upstairs recovering from the grimm attack earlier, I can take a message for you if you want."

Reese's face grew serious, "Ah, well I hope he recovers quickly. I just wanted to thank him for rescuing my son. Argead was out on the loch when that beast attacked and your team leader personally carried him to safety. Let Roy know that if he ever needs a favor, he can always count on me and my family."

Ebony nodded, "I'll make sure he knows."

Reese nodded back and quickly turned, leaving the faunus alone once more. Ebony sighed and drained the rest of her tea; now that she was alone once more, she had a barmaid to question.

**I loved the feilong when I first saw it in season 4 and I really wanted to include it in a story! Finals are almost upon us and I almost done! Then it's on to christmas and new years!**

**Until next we meet,**

**Ar3mRising.  
**


	9. Chapter 8: Of Maids and Murder

Momo was elbow deep in soapy water, cleaning the dishes from the lunch rush when Ebony found her.

"Ebony! What are you doing down here? How is Roy?" she asked, smiling widely at the faunus.

"He's doing much better," Ebony replied, "I was wondering if you knew where Corvatts was, yesterday at about 11:30 AM."

Momo set the dishes on the drying rack with a clatter and dried her hands on her apron, "Can't say for sure, He wasn't here."

Ebony forced her face to remain passive as she processed this, "Did he mention where he was going?"

The barmaid chewed on one of her fingernails thoughtfully, "Now that you mention it, I don't think he did."

Ebony quickly thought back over what she'd learned. Sadie's reaction to Corvatts along with the barkeeper's lack of an alibi... It couldn't be a coincidence.

"Thank you Momo, you've been very helpful." She said.

The barmaid curtsied, "I'm glad I could be of service." she said cheerily.

Ebony forced herself to smile and gestured aimlessly with her hand, "Well, I'd better go check on Roy."

Swiftly turning on her heel, Ebony exited the kitchen. She made her way upstairs and eventually found herself in front of her teammate's room. After a moment of thought, she gave three sharp raps on the door. There came a flurry of movement from inside and the door cracked open to reveal a disheveled Dahlia. Her face was flushed a deep rosey pink and her hair was tousled. A bed sheet was wrapped haphazardly around her otherwise nude body and Ebony blushed as she realized what she must have interrupted.

Dahlia's face flushed a deeper pink as she blushed as well, "Ebony! We were … Um…"

Ebony held up her hands, "I don't need to know. but I'm happy for you."

Dahlia smiled softly, tucking some wayward strands of hair behind her ear. "Thanks. Is there something you wanted?"

Ebony nodded, "I think I have a lead on Sadie's parents' murderer."

Dahlia became dead serious, "Who?"

Ebony glanced around the hall before gently pushing Dahlia inside the room, ignoring the shirtless Hunter sitting in the bed. After making sure the door was closed, she continued, "I think Corvatts did it."

Hunter blinked in surprise, "The Barkeep?"

Ebony nodded, "The way Sadie reacted to him is pretty damning. Plus Momo said he was gone yesterday around the time Roy believes Sadie's parents were killed."

Dahlia stayed quiet until Ebony finished before speaking, "You've seen the guy right? I know he's not exactly cute and cuddly, but has he ever given any sort of hint that he hates faunus?"

Ebony shook her head, "Well, no."

Dahlia tilted her head, "That one guy at dinner the other night… he's probably our guy."

Ebony nodded, "He's obviously on my list of suspects, but I want to follow the Corvatts thread to its logical conclusion."

"How do you intend to prove he did it?" Dahlia asked, adjusting the sheet around her small frame.

Ebony pointed out the window, "We're going back out to the farm to hunt for evidence."

She turned and slipped out of the room, "Get dressed Lia, I'll meet you downstairs."

As Ebony vanished into the hall, the petite girl sighed and began to retrieve her clothes from around the room.

Hunter fondly watched his girlfriend as she got dressed. "Do you want me to come along?" he offered as Dahlia finally slid her cowl over her head.

"No thanks," she replied, "Stay and get some rest."

She noticed Hunter chewing his lip, obviously not happy letting the girls go off by themselves. She walked over to him and sat next to him on the bed.

"Relax big guy," she said kissing him softly, "The girls got this one."

Hunter smiled despite his worry, "Stay safe, okay?" he said, gently caressing her cheek.

Dahlia smiled back as she got up and slung Comodia and Tragoedia across her back. Blowing one more kiss to Hunter, she exited the room and closed the door softly behind her. Descending the stairs to the main level, she found Ebony enjoying a steaming mug of tea at the bar.

"You ready?" the petite huntress in training asked.

Ebony nodded, setting her teacup down with a clink, "Let's do this."

The two girls left Ulmsted at 3:00, just as the sun started to lazily drift toward the mountains. The trip through the forest was largely uneventful; the grimm mostly steering clear of the duo as they moved towards the farm. When they arrived at their destination, they crouched down in the bushes to scope out the area. The grimm had thinned considerably since Roy and Hunter's visit, with only a handful of creepers skulking near the barn.

Ebony leaned toward Dahlia, "I think we should try to sneak toward the farmhouse," she whispered.

Dahlia grinned at her teammate, "What? You don't want to just charge in like the boys did? I'm shocked."

Ebony muffled a laugh with her hand, "No, no. Let's do this quietly."

Dahlia nodded, "Okay, 3… 2… 1… Go!"

The two girls sprinted out of cover, keeping out of sight as best they could. A lone creeper strayed into Dahlia's path and, without breaking stride; she drew Tragoedia, scything through the beast silently. The grimm didn't even have time for a death snarl before its life was snuffed out. The girls finally reached the house and slipped inside. Ebony took the lead, pulling out her scroll to illuminate the way. They moved forward into the house, the light from the scroll casting everything in a pale blue light. As her light fell across the carnage in the living room, Ebony let out a gasp. Dahlia's hand flew to her mouth,

"Oh gods," she whispered.

Ebony found a switch on the wall and flicked it on, illuminating the ghastly scene. Dahlia looked away, her eyes full of horror. Ebony laid a comforting hand on her smaller teammates shoulder, "You can wait outside if you want, this won't take very long."

Dahlia shook her head, "No. I'm staying," she said, the determined look on her face silencing any arguments to the contrary.

Ebony nodded and began to examine the crime scene. As Roy had noted earlier, there were no complete footprints anywhere in the scene. Ebony tossed a quick glance out of the window to confirm that the ground outside didn't contain any potential evidence either. Any footprints that might have been made had been all but eradicated by grimm tramping around outside. Ebony's eye twitched in frustration as her attention returned to the scene inside.

The blood covering the floor hadn't dried and had instead frozen, glistening a dull dark red in the lamplight. Everything had been tossed in disarray, causing Ebony to sigh; this was going to take much longer than she'd thought. Gingerly getting down on all fours, Ebony began to carefully comb over the crime scene. Snapping photos of certain details with her scroll and trying to find a shred of evidence.

"Lia, I'm sorry to ask this," she said as she dug between the shredded couch cushions, "But could you take some pictures of the whole scene?"

Dahlia nodded shakily and took out her scroll.

"No," Ebony stopped her, "You don't need this stuff on your scroll, use mine."

Dahlia murmured a thank you, taking the offered device. Ebony gently leaned over and lifted the woman's head. Her stomach turned as she saw the fleshy nubs Roy had mentioned.

"Lia look here," she said, gently touching the ragged flesh with her finger tips.

Dahlia gasped, "Are those…"

Ebony nodded, gritting her teeth, "The remains of cat ears? Yes."

Dahlia swallowed hard as she snapped a picture of the faunus' corpse. As her teammate lowered the scroll, Ebony noticed angry tears glistening at the corners of Dahlia's eyes.

"Oh Lia," she sighed.

The smaller girl scrubbed her hand across her eyes, "What kind of animal…?"

Ebony shook her head sadly, "I don't know."

As she laid the woman's head back down, Ebony's sharp eyes spotted something laying by the husband's hand. It appeared to be a small stick of wood, sharpened on both ends. Leaning down, Ebony picked up the object.

"What's that?" Dahlia asked.

Ebony studied the stick intently, "It looks like...a toothpick."

Dahlia blinked in surprise, "A toothpick? Are you sure it's not just a shard of the table?"

Ebony wrapped the toothpick in her handkerchief, "Not unless this furniture is blue."

Her mind jumped back to Corvatts; the man always had a toothpick between his teeth. The toothpick alone wasn't enough to confront the barkeeper, but it did give her a reason to keep pursuing her Corvatts' angle.

"Come on," she said to Dahlia, "Let's head back. We've gotten everything we can. We'll send a burial detail once we get back."

Dahlia nodded, "Do you think we should grab any of Sadie's toys while we're here?" the smaller girl asked, handing the borrowed scroll back.

Ebony shrugged, "We could."

The two girls hunted around until they found the stairs to the second level. These led up to the end of a hallway that stretched the length of the farmhouse. Ebony and Dahlia made their way down the hall until they reached a door with a small maroon nameplate reading 'Sadie' fastened to it. Reaching out, Ebony turned the knob and gently pushed the door open.

You could've heard a pin drop; the room was so quiet. A small bed with a blue plaid comforter sat against the wall next to the window. The blue curtains were drawn, allowing the late afternoon light to shine faintly through the window. Dahlia walked in, her intrusion disturbing the thin layer of dust that coated everything and began examining the different toys that lay scattered around the room. Nothing struck her as anything special. Nothing that is, until she looked more closely at the bed where a fuzzy black bear plush sat against one of the midnight blue pillows.

"Bingo!" she exclaimed as she reached out toward the bear.

Ebony had wandered farther down the hall and found the house's office. Sitting on the small desk near the back of the room was a small, black, leather bound book. Opening it to a random page, she discovered the book was a journal that doubled as an account book. The numbers detailing the farms output and expenses were scribbled in between passages detailing day-to-day life. Ebony sat down behind the desk, turning page after page until she came to a passage dated a week or so before the team had arrived in Ulmstead.

_Churi saw someone skulking around the eastern fence line. She didn't get a clear look but said it appeared to be a large man with red hair. I told her not to worry as it was most likely someone using our fences to find their way back to town. Sadie grew another inch today…_

A passage from a week later….

_Something was spooking the livestock last night, I heard them making a commotion in the barn. __When I went out to investigate, all I found were footprints leading back into the woods. This is really strange._

Ebony flipped forward to the next passage, dated several days before the Harabels's bodies had been found.

_The red haired man returned today. I noticed him watching me from behind a tree on the edge of the woods. I realized it looked very much like Corvatts; the barkeeper from town. When I called out to him, he took off running as if the devil himself was chasing him._  
_An odd fellow to be sure..._

Ebony's perusing of the journal was cut short as a scream echoed through the house. Hurriedly stuffing the journal into her bag, Ebony sprinted back to where she'd left Dahlia. Arriving back at the room in seconds, she took in the scene before her.

Dahlia was on the floor, crawling backwards away from the bear plush. The toy was now levitating off the bed, its eyes glowing a dull orange. The bear slowly rotated to face the girls, its head twitching sporadically. Suddenly, a clawed hand emerged from the back of the toy and, slowly but surely, a geist emerged like some twisted butterfly from its chrysalis. Dahlia frantically drew Tragodia, firing at the grimm who deftly dodged and made for the window.

A well placed dust round from Ebony swiftly eliminated the escape route, causing the geist spin wildly away. With no other option, the grimm flew at Ebony with a screech, its claws raised. With a deft flick of her arm, Dahlia sent a shotgun round tearing into the grimm who fell to the floor with a strangled shriek.

Dahlia was breathing hard as she returned Tragodia to its sheath, "Sorry about the scream, that thing startled me."

Ebony bent down and picked up the bear plush. "Completely understandable Lia," she said kindly, brushing dust off of the small toy before stowing it away in her pack.

Dahlia fidgeted with the hilt of her weapon, shooting cautious glances around the room. "Are we done here?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly from nerves.

Ebony nodded, "I think so. Let's get back."

The girls left the house and trekked back through the woods, leaving the sad little farm behind. They didn't speak a word to each other, the walk back spent in complete silent as the sun sank lower and lower toward the horizon. It was completely dark by the time they finally walked into the Naked Nevermore. Stamping snow from her boots, Ebony allowed her gaze to sweep around the room and froze as her emerald green eyes locked with a single royal blue one.

Roy was sitting in one of the two armchairs by the fire, his body wrapped in several blankets. He'd watched them enter the inn, fixing Ebony with a piercing stare. She sauntered over, doing an awful job of looking casual, "Roy! You're looking better. How do you feel?"

Roy sighed, "You didn't have to lie to me," he said quietly.

Ebony's heart sank into her toes, "How did you know?"

Roy adjusted the blanket on his lap, "Well, there's a reddish stain on your knee that's too red for dirt and Hunter told me." Ebony growled and Roy held up his hand, "He was worried about you guys. Don't blame him."

Ebony played with her jacket sleeve, "I'm sorry. I thought you'd stop me if I wanted to investigate," she admitted.

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, "If you were going to do it alone, yes. If you had told me you intended to take Dahlia with you I would've let you."

Ebony looked puzzled, "But, why-"

"Because it's the logical thing to do!" Roy snapped, "I'm still unable to stand without becoming nauseous and if I'd made you wait for me, the trail would've grown cold. Of course we would need to prioritize and cover more ground."

He settled back in his chair with a heavy sigh, rubbing his eye in a tired manner. "I'm doing my best Eb, I didn't think we'd be handling a double homicide... "

Ebony nodded, " I know you are," she murmured, her stomach twisting painfully as Roy looked at her with a soft eye.

"You and Dahlia are skilled huntresses." he said quietly, "It feels like you forget I know that sometimes."

Ebony shook her head, "I know you don't."

Roy smiled gently before his face became serious again, "What did you find?"

Ebony pulled a chair over and set her backpack on the floor, "We found… a couple things."

Taking the journal out of her bag, Ebony flipped to the last entry.

"It says here the wife saw someone who matches Corvatts' description skulking around the farm," she said, pointing to the hand written words.

Roy scanned the entry, his eyes narrowing as he read. "That is definitely something. What else did you find?"

Ebony took her handkerchief out of her pocket and carefully unwrapped the small stick of wood to show Roy.

He leaned over to inspect it, "Is that a toothpick?" he asked.

Ebony nodded, "I found it by the husband's body. Doesn't Corvatts always have a toothpick between his teeth? Plus, this toothpick is from the Naked Nevermore," she said, gesturing to the small ceramic jars full of blue toothpicks that sat at the center of every table.

"The journal entries are good, but without adequate DNA testing, the toothpick is basically worthless as evidence." Roy said, "We need something more concrete if we want our accusation to stick."

Ebony re-wrapped the toothpick and stashed it back in her pocket. "So I figured," she murmured, "But the entries do give us reason enough to search Corvatts' room."

Roy shot a glance at the kitchen door, making sure no one was eavesdropping. "What would you be looking for?" he asked.

Ebony smiled slyly, "I'll explain everything over dinner."

**The plot thickens, Also WHAT WERE DAHLIA AND HUNTER DOING? 0.0  
(Yes I'm being Coy, but I'm the author. It's kinda in the job description)  
I love the part with the geist coming out of the teddy bear. Real creepy hours over here XD**

**Until Next we meet!**

**Ar3mRising.**

**P.S. We hit 100 views already!**


	10. Chapter 9: The Search and the Sentence

The team shared a light supper, discussing the day and some of what they had discovered. They left Corvatts' name out of the conversation for fear of someone overhearing, choosing instead to call him 'The suspect.'

Once everyone was brought up to speed on the case, Ebony finally revealed what she hoped to find in Corvatts' room. "I'm searching for either the murder weapon or the wife's ears."

Dahlia choked on her drink, "W-what makes you think you'll f-find her ears?" she stammered through coughs as Hunter gently thumped her on the back.

Ebony set her teacup back on the table with a clink. "Well, the ears were nowhere to be found at the farm. Even if I couldn't see them I would've smelled them."

Hunter raised an eyebrow at her, "So, you think the suspect took them as trophies of sorts."

Ebony nodded, "I think so."

Roy skewered a potato with his fork, "So basically, we just have to get someone into the suspect's room and search it."

Dahlia pointed to herself, "My stealth makes me a good candidate, plus I'll be harder to spot."

Hunter grinned, "You mean because you're short?"

"I prefer fun sized," Dahlia growled at her boyfriend.

Ebony rolled her eyes, "Said every short person ever."

Hunter chuckled before turning to Roy, "I agree, Dahlia's stealth is on a whole other level than mine and I can make myself basically invisible."

Dahlia grinned cheekily, "I'm really really sneaky."

Ebony smiled, "Okay, now we just have to figure out when the suspect will be out of his room, preferably out of the building."

Hunter took a drink of his coffee before speaking, "I know he attends services at the church every other night."

Roy blinked in surprise, "I never pegged him as a religious person."

Ebony hummed thoughtfully, "We didn't peg him for a murderer either, and yet, here we are."

Roy ignored her remark and pressed Hunter for details, "How long is he usually gone?"

Hunter shrugged, "Hard to say exactly, somewhere between an hour to an hour and a half."

Roy's face grew more determined. "Perfect, we'll do it tomorrow."

Hunter shook his head, "We can't. There's one tonight so we'll have to wait until the day after tomorrow."

Roy sighed, "More time to plan I suppose. Ebony you'll watch the street and the front entrance of the tavern. Hunter, you'll watch the square, keep an eye on the church and let us know when the service lets out."

Roy turned to the last team member, "Dahlia, you will be searching Corvatts's room."

"The door is through the kitchen to the right." Ebony interjected.

Dahlia nodded, serious as the grave, "Got it."

Roy looked around at the determined faces of his teammates and grinned widely, "Right, let's do this."

-:-

The appointed evening arrived before Roy knew it. He was currently in his and Ebony's room, waiting for the church bell to herald the start of that night's service. He was feeling much better, having regained the ability stand without feeling nauseous. The day after they'd made the plan, he'd finally written his letter to Goodwitch. It informed the deputy headmistress of their predicament and requested instructions. Roy was going to hand if off to Reese for delivery next time he saw the pilot. Roy let out a small sigh as he walked up and down the room, shooting covert glances at a small round clock set above the fireplace.

"If you pace for much longer, you're going to wear a trail in the floor," Ebony remarked, looking up from the floor where she was playing with Sadie.

Roy stopped pacing and sank down next to the two of them with a sigh. "I just don't want to screw this up." he admitted, "If Corvatts catches on that we suspect him, he could be gone like that."

He snapped his fingers for emphasis. Ebony gently put her hand on his leg, "I know, but you shouldn't worry, you have some very able allies on your side. I think we can handle it."

Roy smiled, "I think you can too."

The bell chose that moment to ring and Roy's ears flashed in that direction. He and Ebony stood; the latter brushing dust from her coat tails. Roy bent down and brushed some of Sadie's hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry Sadie, we'll get him," he promised.

Sadie gave him a questioning look, her big blue eyes sparkling curiously.

Roy looked up at Ebony, "Are you ready?"

Ebony nodded and slipped from the room, heading to her position downstairs. Roy set his scroll down, keyed up the team chat option, and pressed talk, "Black Cat checking in."

Dahlia had given them all code names, arguing that you couldn't have a stealth based mission without kick-ass aliases.

"Gentle Giant checking in." Hunter's voice came through loud and clear.

"Athena checking in!" Dahlia said enthusiastically, causing Roy to smile again. She was clearly having way too much fun with this.

"Regal Kitty checking in." Ebony's voice chimed in, completing the roll call.

Roy leaned over the scroll, forcing himself to get serious and concentrate. "Regal Kitty, what is the status of the suspect?"

A moment of silence passed before Ebony responded, "Suspect is preparing to leave."

Roy's ears perked up in anticipation, "Gentle Giant, the moment he's out of sight you go for the distraction."

The distraction consisted of Hunter calling Momo up to his and Dahlia's room. Hopefully, giving Dahlia enough time to sneak back to Corvatts' room unnoticed.

"The suspect has left the building," Ebony whispered. Several seconds of silence passed, then… "He's away."

Hunter's line came back on, "Commencing distraction." the line clicked off as he muted his scroll.

Several seconds went by.

"Maid successfully distracted." Ebony hissed into her scroll.

Roy smiled grimly, "Okay Athena, go."

Dahlia's line clicked off as she made her move.

Roy waited with baited breath for her scroll to click on again. "Okay, okay, okay," he mumbled nervously slowly letting out his pent up breath.

"Relax Black Cat, we can do this."

Roy flinched as Ebony's voice startled him, "Sorry Regal, I thought I was muted."

Ebony chuckled softly, "All good."

Dahlia's line clicked back on, "Okay guys, I made it."

Roy snapped back to attention, "Good work, did anyone see you?" he exclaimed.

Dahlia hummed happily to herself, "No. There was a cook by the oven, but he never saw a thing. Okay...what am I looking for?"

Roy leaned back over the scroll, "A murder weapon or…" He trailed off, taking a breath before continuing, "Sadie's mother's ears."

Dahlia gulped and fell silent as she began her search. Roy could hear drawers opening and closing, as well as what sounded like a wardrobe.

"Uh guys?" Dahlia's voice sounded apprehensive, "I can't find anything."

Roy's heart sank; Corvatts must've gotten rid of the evidence.

"Did you check the bed Athena?" Ebony asked, bringing Roy back to the earth.

Dahlia gasped, "No! I didn't even think of that!"

Hunter's line click back on, an edge of panic sneaking into his voice, "Dahlia, either hide or get out of there, Corvatts is running back."

Roy's blood turned to ice, it was much too early. "Dahlia, you…!" he began, but Dahlia cut him off with a very resolute, "I'm staying."

Hunter started to argue, but she muted her scroll, halting further discussion.

"Roy, if anything happens, I'm going in there after her," Hunter growled into his scroll.

Roy swallowed hard, "Understood."

He heard the front door of the Naked Nevermore open and close, then the kitchen door. Roy took that moment to pray to every god he knew that Corvatts wouldn't spot Dahlia. The seconds crawled painfully by until finally, Roy heard the kitchen door reopen and a few seconds later, the front door of the tavern swing closed.

"The suspect is back in the wind," Ebony whispered.

Dahlia's scroll came back on, "Whooooo that was way too close." She breathed a sigh of relief, "I slid under the bed before he saw me."

Roy allowed his heart rate to sink back down to normal. "What did he come back for Athena?" he asked.

"It looked like a copy of the book that Father Umber has in his office," she replied. The petite huntress could be heard moving the pillows and pressing down on the sheets, searching for concealed items. "Nothing!" she hissed, her voice full of disappointment.

"Dahlia, check under the mattress," Hunter offered.

Dahlia grunted as she lifted the mattress. "There's something wrapped in brown paper!" she exclaimed.

The breath caught in Roy's throat, "Open it," he murmured.

There came a rustling of brown paper and a light thud, "Oh gods" Dahlia breathed, "I… I found her ears Roy."

Roy grit his teeth, his grip on the edge of the table growing tighter and tighter until his knuckles turned white.

"Bring them with you Dahlia," he growled, grabbing Black Orchid and strapping it to his hip, "We're going to church."

-:-

Roy strode toward the church, flanked on either side by his teammates. His jaw was clenched as he stalked towards the building, his eyes blazing with a quiet fury. Ebony lightly tugged on his hand, silently begging him to slow down.

"If you don't take a moment to think, you'll do something you'll regret," she implored.

"I don't need to take a moment, I'm fine," he spat, roughly pulling his hand out of Ebony's grasp.

Finally reaching the great double doors of the church, Roy braced himself and threw both doors wide. The bang of the doors echoed through the church, interrupting Father Umber mid sermon. A moment of shocked silence seemed to go on for eternity and several people shot furious looks as Roy took several steps forward.

Father Umber spread his arms in a welcoming manner, seemingly unfazed by their sudden entry, "Welcome friends, what brings you to our little gathering?"

Roy's gaze swept around the sanctuary in an attempt to spot their quarry. "Where is Corvatts?" he asked, his heart pounding in his ears.

Umber's eyebrows rose, clearly confused, "What do you want with him?"

Roy signaled his team to spread out. Hunter remained by the door, while the girls began to slowly walk down the side aisles.

Roy himself began walking down the center aisle, his eye and ears darting around the sanctuary. "We're here to ask him some questions about the deaths at the farm earlier this week."

Father Umber's smile faltered, "What kind of questions do you have? Perhaps I can answer them."

Roy shook his head, "I doubt you can Father." He stood before the altar, gazing up at the Reverend, "Unless you can explain why Corvatts would murder two people."

A angry murmur ran through the room among several shouts of "Liar!"

Father Umber was no longer smiling, "Calm down everyone!" He called to the congregation before turning his attention back to the faunus. "That is quite a serious accusation son," he said solemnly, gripping his pulpit for support.

Roy steadily returned the reverend's solemn gaze and held up the parcel Dahlia had found, "I wouldn't make such an accusation if I didn't have proof father."

Climbing the few steps to the altar, he set the parcel on the smooth marble slab. Father Umber walked over and began to unwrap the brown paper.

The sickening contents came into view, causing Umber to snatch his hands back.

"Gods preserve us!" he exclaimed.

The ears were smaller than Roy's, but their size made them recognizable as faunus traits. Dried blood crusted the place where the ears had been cruelly cut from their owner and one golden earring could be seen glistening in the candlelight.

Father Umber rounded on Roy, "Where did you find these?"

Roy kept his eyes on Umber as he replied, "Corvatts' living quarters."

Corvatts suddenly exploded out from behind a wall panel at the rear of the altar. Sprinting past Father Umber, he leapt down the steps and barreled towards the door. A desperate smirk twisted the bar keeper's face, betraying his intent to bowl Roy over. But the faunus stood his ground, waiting until Corvatts was right on top of him before unleashing a massive blow to the man's stomach. Corvatts dropped to the ground, clutching his stomach and struggling to regain the air that had been driven from his lungs.

"Stay down if you know what's good for you," Roy growled.

The bar keeper ignored the command and fought his way back to standing position, throwing a wild punch at his shorter opponent. Roy swayed backwards, allowing Corvatts's fist to whiz by him. Planting his foot, the faunus put his entire body into a right hook that collided with the barkeeps face, sending him back to the ground.

"Stay. Down," Roy snarled, his blue eye flashing with rage.

Corvatts gave a wheezy chuckle as he wiped the blood from his nose, "You got more fight in you than that faunus bitch did."

Roy knew Corvatts was trying to goad him. The barkeep knew he couldn't escape and was trying to trigger a reaction from the faunus. The thing was… Roy didn't care. With a cry of rage, Roy leapt on Corvatts, sending his fist crashing into that horrible grinning face again and again. He heard his team shout his name and Umber yell something about the church being a holy place, but he didn't listen. All he cared about was hurting the scumbag as much as he could.

"Why?!" he yelled, his voice echoing through the vaulted room, "Why do you hate us so much?!"

A second later, Roy felt himself being hauled off of Corvatts, "Get off me!" he roared, struggling wildly against Hunter's strong grip.

"I will if you calm down!" the larger boy growled.

Roy stopped struggling and Hunter let go. As soon as he was free, Roy darted forward and pressed his sword point to Corvatts's throat.

"Roy no!" Ebony cried.

The barkeep laughed again, "Are you going to kill me cat?" he asked.

Roy was breathing hard, his heart beating a frenzied rhythm on his rib cage. "I don't know," he said with a shrug, "it seems like the best option."

Corvatts stopped laughing, his face going pale. "You wouldn't." he said, a slight edge of panic creeping into his voice.

"I WOULDN'T?" the faunus roared in his face.

Roy's sword hand was shaking with rage, the tip quivering at the barkeep's throat. This human, who had murdered two faunus, dared to tell him what he would or wouldn't do? He suddenly felt the touch of a cool hand on his sword hand, instantly cutting through the red fog of rage clouding his senses. He looked over to find Ebony gazing pleadingly at him and gently shaking her head,

"This wouldn't be justice," she whispered, "Please let go."

Roy allowed Ebony to pull Black Orchid from his grasp and sighed, "Father, what is this man's last name?"

Umber had his eyes locked on Roy as he replied, "Marron. The names of his victims were Murnu and Churi Harabel."

Roy clenched his fist tightly, trying to keep his emotions in check. "Corvatts Marron, you are under huntsmen's arrest for the murders of Murnu and Churi Harabel."

Father Umber skirted around Corvatts and placed a hand on Roy's shoulder.

"Bring him to my office," he murmured, "we will hold the inquiry there." Turning to the congregation, the father raised his arms and addressed them, "Apologies, my brothers and sisters. For reasons I hope have been made clear, we will be cutting our service short tonight. Please come tomorrow night and I will hold an extended service." Lowering his arms, he pointed out several people in the crowd, "If the members of our council would kindly join us upstairs, we shall deal with this wolf in our midst."

As the sanctuary emptied of people, the small contingent made its way upstairs. Upon reaching the office, Umber sat behind his desk, the council members sat in chairs at the back of the room, and team SHDE stood against the office's right wall. Roy moved a lone chair to the center of the room and Hunter roughly pushed Corvatts into it. Father Umber sighed, clasping his hands before him and gazing evenly at the man before him. "Corvatts, you stand accused of two murders. How do you plead?"

Corvatts spit blood onto the carpet. "Not guilty," he grunted, shooting a hateful glance at Roy.

Umber nodded, "Very well. Huntsmen, present your case."

Roy nodded at Ebony, who stepped forward and laid the evidence on Umber's desk. On their way up the stairs, Roy and Ebony had agreed that, because of Roy's outburst, she should be the one to present the majority of the evidence they had against Corvatts. "Father, when we started to gather evidence, we found several things out. At the time of the killings, Corvatts was noticeably absent from his place of business. This can be confirmed by the barmaid that works there. Churnu Harabel had spotted someone skulking around the Harabel farm as noted in the farm's logbook. Upon searching the suspect's rooms, we discovered the victim's ears, kept as gruesome trophies. We believe this,along with the other evidence, serves as adequate reason to charge Corvatts Marron with the murders."

Ebony finished and retreated back to her spot at the wall.

Father Umber's gaze returned to Corvatts, "Do you have an alibi Mr. Marron?"

Corvatts stared back levelly, "I was fishing," he stated simply.

"Can anyone confirm that?" Umber asked.

Corvatts snorted, "I don't need anyone to confirm it; no one is going to believe these faunus over me."

Umber stood up, anger flashing in his eyes, "No but they will believe me and I will vouch for the faunus. Both of them."

The color drained from Corvatts' face as Umber turned to the council members, "Gentlemen, you have heard the evidence. Take a moment to discuss your verdict and return once you have one."

Ebony blinked in surprise, "But sir, there hasn't been any defense!-."

Umber held up his hand again, "Miss Winterhold, you've done your job. Now, let us do things in our own way."

The group of councilmen filed out, leaving Umber and team SHDE standing in silence.

Corvatts smiled at Ebony, "Oh don't worry about me kitty cat, I'll be just fine."

Roy gripped Black Orchid's pommel, quelling his urge to leap on the murderer once more and wipe the smile off his face.

The room lapsed back into quiet, the sound of the clock ticking on its shelf frighteningly loud in the stillness. 15 minutes had slowly ticked by before the council returned.

"I assume you've reached a verdict?" Father Umber asked.

A middle aged man with brown hair and a scar stretching across his nose responded. "We have."

"And?" Umber prompted.

The man cleared his throat, "We have determined that Corvatts Marron did willfully and maliciously murder Murnu and Churi Harabel. He has been found guilty."

Father Umber nodded gravely and stood slowly, "Corvatts Marron, you have been found guilty of murder. You will be taken from this church to a place of execution where you will be hung by the neck until dead."

Roy heard Ebony gasp, clearly shocked at the method of execution. He nodded grimly. _He's getting what he deserves, _he thought.

Corvatts wasn't smiling anymore, instead he looked shocked and dumbfounded. "What!? No!" He jumped to his feet, looking like he was about to run. Roy leapt forward and caught the bigger man's arm, struggling to restrain him. "Y-You-!" Corvatts yelled, struggling wildly.

"Gag him!" Umber exclaimed.

One of the men produced a scrap of black cloth and started toward Corvatts,

"No! N-! the barkeeper cried out as the man gagged him, muffling his voice and cutting off his words.

Two of the councilmen stepped forward and firmly grasped Corvatts's arms, pulling him away from the desk and out the door of the office. Umber followed a close distance behind, gesturing for Roy to follow.

Roy nodded and turned to his team, "Hunter, you and Dahlia stay in town."

He heard Dahlia start to protest and raised his hand, cutting her off, "Lia, I don't want you two to see this. Please go back to the inn."

Dahlia silently nodded, allowing Hunter to put his arm around her shoulders.

Roy turned to Ebony, "Eb…" he began, but she held up a finger, "Don't start, I'm a faunus and I will see this man pay for what he's done."

Roy nodded quietly and turned to follow the council out.

The group exited the church and slowly wound its way through town. As they passed the Naked Nevermore, Roy saw Momo standing in the doorway, her eyes widening in shock as she watched her employer being taken away.

Roy kept his gaze forward, wincing slightly as he heard the inn's door slam shut a few seconds later. He sighed, the feeling of grim triumph sputtering and dying in his heart as they continued on to the place of execution.

**And the murderer is caught! Nice to see Umber standing up for our faunus friends. I'd love to hear what you think about the story so far! shoot me a message or leave a review.  
Thanks again for reading!**

**Until we next meet,**

**Ar3mRising.**


	11. Chapter 10: Are You Coming to The Tree

The execution spot was about a mile or so outside the main city; a shadowy clearing just inside the woods. In the center of the clearing, stood a solitary tree. An ancient, knotted monolith of wood that stood out black against the surrounding forest. Corvatts was made to stand on a wooden bench sitting beneath the tree, while a noose was slung over a thicker low hanging branch and placed around his neck.

Umber stepped forward, his leather bound book in hand, "Corvatts Marron, you have been found guilty of murder and sentenced to death. May the God of destruction, the great equalizer, he who perfectly balances the scales of life and death have mercy on your soul."

Corvatts yelled something out, but whatever he meant to say was smothered by the black fabric in his mouth.

Ebony suddenly spoke, "Wait! Shouldn't he be given the chance to defend himself?To say goodbye to his loved ones?!"

Umber turned to face the faunus, "Ms. Ebony, He was given the chance to defend himself. He spat on that chance. Dear Sadie had no chance to bid her loved ones farewell so why should he?" The reverend turned back around, clasping his hands behind his back with a sigh, "He has no immediate kin in town, but I will compose a letter to his mother in Mistral."

With that, Umber gave a curt nod to a councilman. The man knocked the bench out from under the barkeeper with a swift kick and Corvatts fell, gravity playing its cruel game on him until the rope arrested his momentum with a sickening crack. The barkeeper's eyes bulged and his head wrenched sideways at an unnatural angle, his face rapidly turning blue as the light drained from his eyes.

Roy winced and averted his eyes so he didn't have to see the horrible sight anymore. He clenched his hands by his sides, fighting the urge to raise his hands and block out the sound of the rope creaking as Corvatts's corpse swung like some macabre pendulum. Turning, Roy grasped Ebony's hand and began to lead her away. She resisted for a moment before allowing herself to be pulled away. Neither faunus spoke a word as they walked back to Ulmsted. They simply remained silent, letting the sounds of the late evening fill their senses.

Birds called into the stillness, their cries echoing eerily through the woods. Somewhere off to their left, a mournful shriek of an owl signaled the crescendo of nature's symphony. The sounds of their boots crunching in the snow acting as the beats of the decrescendo as they walked onward.

"I wish…" Roy turned to look at Ebony as she spoke, "I wish I would've let you stop me from coming."

Roy gently squeezed her hand, "How come?"

"I feel…Dirty.," Ebony shivered, "Like I've seen something I shouldn't."

Roy sighed, keeping his gaze straight ahead as they walked, "That's why I asked the other two to stay in town." he said quietly, "Execution is completely different from the battlefield. Plus, seeing people kill each other is always jarring."

The two fell silent again as the buildings of Ulmsted came into view through the trees. A few minutes later, the two faunus walked through the town's streets on their way to the Naked Nevermore.

"Can I tell you something?" Roy said tentatively.

Ebony nodded, "Of course, you can tell me anything."

Roy sighed, his hand playing with Black Orchid's pommel, "Back in the church, I felt old thoughts beginning to resurface."

Ebony shot him a questioning look, "what kind of thoughts?"

Roy avoided eye contact as he tried to find the right words, "Hatred, a resentment of humanity… Things I haven't felt since I was with the White Fang."

Ebony gently set her hand on his shoulder, "You're not that person anymore, I've seen you change in the best ways since we left. Corvatts is one of the few people who are truly sub human. It's only natural to feel that way."

They finally caught sight of the welcoming orange glow from the tavern's bay window and picked up their pace, arriving at the door a few seconds later. There was a small sign reading 'closed' in red lettering set in the bay window, but the door was unlocked.

Roy held the door for Ebony, then followed after her into the warm interior. The place was empty, not a patron in sight. The fire was still lit, but was not as large as it normally was. Hunter and Dahlia were sitting at a table in the back corner, the latter waving to them as they came in. Sadie was sitting on Dahlia's lap, doing her best to tackle a large bowl of chicken noodle soup. Weaving their way through the empty tables, the two faunus sank down at the table and Roy let out a groan as he buried his head in his arms.

"Didn't go well?" Dahlia asked tentatively.

Roy shot the smaller girl a glare and she shrank back, trying to hide behind Sadie. "How 'well' is an execution supposed to go?" he growled, causing Hunter to clear his throat pointedly.

"Sorry," Roy mumbled, "He's dead if that's what you wanted to know."

Dahlia nodded silently and buried her face in the back of Sadie's dress. Hunter sighed and stroked his girlfriend's arm, shooting Roy a reproachful look.

Ebony coughed lightly, "I think I'll go to bed now, I'm really not hungry." she got up from the table and vanished up the stairs.

Dahlia got up next, "I should put Sadie to bed before Eb falls asleep."

she vanished upstairs as well, with Hunter following after her; leaving Roy sitting by himself. He checked his scroll and groaned at the "no signal" message in the upper left corner. Roy buried his face in his arms once more, reveling in the darkness it created.

_I just want to go back to Beacon,_ he thought sadly, _We weren't ready for this._

"Hey..."

Roy looked up to find Momo standing beside him, holding two tankards and looking at him with tired, yet kind eyes.

"Care for some company?"

He gestured to the chair next to him."I...Sure."

Momo sat and slid one of the tankards toward Roy.

"What's this?" he asked, sniffing at the liquid, a noticeable aroma of alcohol coupled with the scent of apples greeting him.

"Hard cider," Momo replied, "I thought we could both use a drink after today."

Roy started to protest, then thought better of it, "It has been a rough day hasn't it," he said, taking a small sip of the cider.

"Yeah," Momo agreed, "It's not every day you find out your boss is a psychotic killer."

Roy sighed sadly and looked around the tavern. "What'll happen to the inn?"

Momo sighed and took a sip of her drink, "We'll be closed until a new owner buys it. Father Umber said it was okay for you guys to keep staying here."

Roy nodded and rubbed his eye in a tired manner, "I wish we could've...done more."

Momo set her tankard down with a pointed thud, "What more could you have done?"

Roy started to explain, but Momo her hand up, silencing him. "There was no reason for you to think something like this was going to happen. I know huntsmen and huntresses have special powers, but no one can read minds." she placed a hand on his arm, "You caught him, that's all that matters."

Roy nodded and took another sip from his tankard, "Thank you Momo, you didn't have to sit and talk with me. Hell, I'm still trying to figure out why you're being so nice to me."

Momo shrugged, "You and your team just seemed like people who were worth being kind too…" she stifled a laugh, "Also you looked so forlorn sitting here I couldn't resist. So mopey with your big ears all droopy."

Momo quickly reached out, running her finger down one of the furry appendages, Roy flinched, shying away from the Barmaid's hand and she snatched her hand back, "Oh no, I'm sorry I shouldn't have assumed…"

Roy raised a hand, "No no, I was just startled is all." He slid closer to the barmaid, "You can… touch them, if you want."

Momo fiddled with the handle of her tankard, "Are you sure?" she asked, giving the ears a sidelong glance.

Roy nodded, "Yeah, go ahead."

Momo wiped her hands on her apron, making sure they were completely clean before she tentatively reached out and grasped Roy's left faunus ear. He had been tense as she reached for his ear, but now, Roy found himself loosening and melting into to barmaid's touch.

"They're so warm," Momo breathed, "They feel like velvet."

Roy blushed and coughed politely, taking another sip of cider. Momo allowed her hand to slide down to the base of the ear and began to lightly scratch it. Roy allowed his eye to fall closed, his head drifting toward Momo as she scratched his ear. Inadvertently, a rumble began in his chest and bubbled up into his throat.

"Are you… Purring?" Momo asked, awestruck.

Roy nodded his head, his eye still closed as he enjoyed the barmaid's ministrations.

Momo giggled once more, "I had no ideas faunus could purr."

Roy opened his eye and smiled softly at the barmaid, "It's a secret to everybody," he said.

Momo grinned back, "I guess so." She finally withdrew her hand and Roy allowed the purr to die in his throat.

"How old are you Roy?" Momo asked, taking a healthy swig from her tankard.

Roy raised an eyebrow, "Why do you ask?"

The barmaid shrugged, "It's just that I assumed we're the same age"

Roy hummed thoughtfully, "I don't really keep track, I haven't celebrated a birthday since I turned fifteen."

The barmaid's eyes narrowed, "Wait, how old do you have to be to go to Beacon?" she asked.

Roy thought for a second, "17, so that means I'm-."

Momo interrupted him with an indignant exclamation, "You mean you've missed two years of birthdays?!" "

Roy shrugged, "It just never seemed that important…"

Momo stood and faced him, shoving her face close to his. "Not that-Not that important?! You're turning a year older! Marking another year in this world and you think it's not that important?!"

Roy raised his hand defensively, "Sorry?"

Momo abruptly stood and stalked toward the stairs, a determined gleam in her eyes.

"Where are you going?" Roy asked.

"To tell your team! They are obviously ignorant of the fact," she called back over her shoulder.

Roy started to get up, "But-."

"Stay where you are buster," Momo ordered and Roy reluctantly sank back down into the chair to wait.

A minute or so later, he heard feet descending the stairs. Looking up, he saw his team walking towards him, their eyes gleaming with the same determination as Momo.

"He-hey guys," Roy stammered, "Nice night."

Ebony had her hands on her hip, her yukata tied securely around her waist. "Why didn't you tell me when your birthday was?" she asked frostily.

Roy shrugged feebly, "It was during finals, I didn't want to bother you."

Dahlia threw up her hands, "Bother us? It's your birthday for Pete's sake!"

Ebony pinched the bridge of her nose, "When was your birthday?" she asked.

"The third of last month, why?"

Ebony pulled out her scroll and began typing, "Because I'm putting it in my alerts so I never miss your birthday again."

Dahlia pulled out her scroll, "Good idea Eb, I'll do the same."

Roy hid his face with his hand, "Come on guys, this is hardly the time..."

Dahlia pointed her scroll at him, "Quiet you, you don't get to protest."

Roy raised his hand in defeat and went back to his drink. As he did, the door of the kitchen thumped open and a warm glow spilled forth into the dimly lit dining room as Momo emerged. She'd vanished into the room at some point and now reappeared with a cinnamon roll sitting on the tray, a lit candle sticking out of it. She gave him a soft smile as she softly hummed the bars of a song. As the tune went on, the more familiar it became and Roy's mind turned to a distant memory; the last time he saw his dad.

His parents had sung the same song to him while celebrating his 8th birthday. As their happy faces flashed through his mind, Roy felt tears start to slide down his cheeks. He scrubbed his hand across his eyes and gave a watery chuckle, "I hate you guys."

Leaning forward, he took a deep breath and blew the candle out. His team gathered around and Roy allowed them to pull him into a group hug. He relished the feeling of his team surrounding him like a wall and his heart fell slightly when the hug ended. Picking the cinnamon roll up, He took a bite and allowed a sigh of contentment to escape him. The roll was still warm and delightfully flakey, the gooey white icing melting in his mouth. Roy didn't think he'd ever had a nicer treat before this.

"Thank you for the cinnamon roll Momo," he said after the last morsel had disappeared.

Momo waved her hand dismissively, "Please, it's the least I could do."

Dahlia looked around the establishment sadly, "I'm guessing those rolls would've been on the menu tomorrow if you guys were still open."

Momo nodded and reached into her apron pockets, producing three more of the rolls wrapped in plastic. "Yeah, they would've. Here, they'll go to waste otherwise."

Dahlia, Ebony, and Hunter accepted the cinnamon rolls, Their smiles and words of thanks causing Momo to grin. Roy's eyes had grown heavy as they talked and the warm cinnamon roll, coupled with the alcohol, just made him even more drowsy. He leaned his head on his hand and fought to keep his single eye from closing.

"So," Momo began, turning to the dozing faunus, "How old are you now Roy?"

Ebony cleared her throat primly, "He's 18."

Momo turned a quizzical eye on the cat-tailed faunas, "How do you know if you didn't celebrate his birthday?"

Ebony snorted, "Because I can count. I met Roy when he was 15 and it's been three years since then."

Momo grinned, "Wow you guys must be close."

Ebony's face visibly colored, "Yes we are," she said pointedly.

Momo's grin faltered slightly, "I feel like I've offended you somehow. Are you two a couple? I assure you my interest in him is purely platonic."

Ebony's face went bright red and the ability to speak full sentences seemed to evaporate. "N-no! We aren't… I don't…" She stammered for a good two seconds before finally saying, "I really should get some sleep… Goodnight!"

She swiftly retreated upstairs and out of sight. Dahlia snickered and turned to Roy, "It looks like you have a secret admirer, you…"

She trailed off as she noticed Roy slumbering peacefully, his face still propped up on his hand. "Hunter? Why don't you pick up our clueless Romeo and we'll put him to bed."

Hunter nodded with a grin and gently picked up the slumbering faunus, "He'll owe me one, this is the second time I've carried him in the past week."

Dahlia stifled a giggle and patted Hunter in the back, "I know he'll think of some way to repay you."

The petite huntress turned to wave at Momo, "Have a good night Momo."

The barmaid waved back, "You too, sleep well!"

Hunter carried Roy to his room, slipping inside quietly as to not wake Ebony or Sadie. He set Roy down gently and relieved him of his boots.

Dahlia glanced between the two slumbering faunus, "So clueless, he can't even see what's right in front of him."

Hunter nodded, setting Roy's boots softly on the floor, "Do you think we should tell him?"

Dahlia shook her head, "I think we should see how this plays out. If we reach next semester though, I will say something."

Hunter smiled at the fierce gleam in his girlfriend's eyes. "Agreed. Come on matchmaker, let's go get some sleep."

Exiting the room, the couple left the two faunus to slumber peacefully. The cares of the world forgotten in the world of dreams.

**And now I'm hungry. I love warm ****cinnamon**** rolls and my mouth was watering the whole time I was writing this chapter.  
****One of the biggest challenges to writing this story is that it happens before Roy and Ebony's romance had truly begun to develop so I had to send my mind back to the good ole days and write like I did then. I hope you guys are enjoying the story and happy 2020!**

**Let's make this year a good one!**

**Until we next meet,****Ar3mRising. **


	12. Chapter 11: More Questions Than Answers

Roy was standing under a tree in a clearing, utterly and completely alone.

Something rough rubbed against his throat, the weight of it heavy on his shoulders. The creaking of a rope rang in his ears, nearly deafening him. He turned his head to find where the creaking came from and felt his heart stop. A man was hanging next to him, his eyes wide and staring. His face was a horrid mottled blue-purple color and his neck was bent at a gruesome angle.

The man's corpse turned to face Roy and the faunus could see his own reflection in the glassy gaze. With a flutter of wings, a raven landed on the man's shoulder and began pecking at his flesh.

A whisper, soft and haunting, echoed in Roy's ears, _"Death isn't so bad… all it takes is one… little … drop."_

Roy touched the thing around his neck and found a thick hempen rope. Before he could get it off, the ground suddenly vanished under Roy's feet and he fell down… down… down.

He jerked awake, his hand flying to his neck as he clutched at where the rope had been. He was breathing hard and sweat had soaked through his pajama shirt, heightening the discomfort of the sudden awakening. Something moved beside his bed, almost causing him to leap out of bed and grab for his weapon where it rested on a chair next to the bed. But it was only Sadie, standing next to his bed and looking at him with her big blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Sadie," he whispered, "Bad dream."

The small girl continued to gaze at him with the same curious expression. He sighed and gripped her tiny hands in his, "The man who murdered your parents...He's gone now and he won't ever hurt you."

Roy could tell from her slightly vacant expression that she actually understood very little of what he was saying and he pulled her into a hug, hoping that would communicate just what he was trying to say.

"You're safe now." he whispered softly, feeling the tiny girl breathing in his embrace.

He felt a hand reach up and gently grip one of his faunus ears, a small quiet voice whispering softly to him, "Safe now."

His eyes widened and he looked down at Sadie only to find that she'd drifted off once more. Gently lifting the girl, he carried her over to the neighboring bed and deposited her next to Ebony.

Sadie yawned and curled into a little ball next to Roy's slumbering teammate. Ebony stirred in her slumber and turned over, pulling Sadie closer to her body. Roy smiled before turning away to get dressed, the smile slowly leaving his face as he thought about the past week.

Death was not something I wanted to see more of anytime soon, he thought as he dug in his bag for a spare set of clothes and began to get dressed.

Since team SHDE had arrived in Olmsted, he'd seen four lives end. Sadie's parents had been the first two, then the man on the lake that had been eaten by the fielong was the third and finally Corvatt's, getting his just desserts for his crimes had been the fourth.

It never gets easier, he thought, buttoning up his coat and sweeping his long black hair out of his eyes. With the murder solved and behind them, there was still one final lingering mystery; where in the world David Rainere had gotten too.

Team SHDE had been supposed to meet up with the elder huntsmen when they'd landed. But now, almost an entire week later, Rainere still hadn't turned up. Roy was determined to find him, now more so than ever and had set his mind to investigating for the majority of the day. Sneaking to the door, Roy quietly opened it and slipped into the hallway.

The sun had just begun to rise, a single vibrant sliver of light peeking above the surrounding mountains. A light glow tinged the wooden wall of the hallway a dusty rose color as Roy tiptoed to the stairs and descended into the dining area. Cinching Black Orchid's belt tight around his waist, he stepped out into the chilly morning. The first place on his list of destinations was the market.

Roy picked his way from stall to stall, asking the same question over and over; "What can you tell me about David Rainere?"

The majority of the stall owners didn't talk to him, either playing dumb and deflecting questions. Some simply didn't answer him at all, choosing instead to look at him with ill hidden dislike in their eyes. One older gentleman running a rock candy stand told him that if anyone knew anything, it would probably be Father Umber. Roy thanked him and made his way to the church.

He found the reverend in his office, reading his red leather book and drinking a steaming cup of coffee, "Ah, Roy. You're up early."

Roy sat across from Umber and removed his gloves, trying to ignore the fact that Corvatts had sat in that same chair a day earlier.

"Sorry to disturb you so early Father," he said, "I just had a few more questions regarding David Rainere."

Father Umber shut his book with a quiet thud and set it down on the desk. He looked worn out, circles having appeared under his eyes and his hair being a bit less orderly then when they had first met. "He still hasn't returned then?"

Roy shook his head and Umber sighed, "I'd wondered why mere students were conducting a murder investigation by themselves."

Roy nodded, trying to keep his mind from turning to the last few weeks. "I was wondering where he was going when he left."

Father Umber frowned, "I don't think it would be wise to go after him Roy. He was going where few dare to tread."

Roy set his jaw, "I need to know father."

Umber rubbed his eyes and sighed, as if Roy's determination was further sapping him of energy. "If I tell you, you have to promise me you'll wait until tomorrow. We have a big snowstorm on its way and I don't need you getting lost out there."

Roy had no intention of waiting. But for the sake of placating the reverend, he nodded.

Umber solemnly returned the nod, "Very well, he was headed to the far side of the loch to investigate the old ruins."

Roy's brow furrowed, "Why?"

Umber leaned back in his chair, "There had been shrieks and odd lights coming from across the lake in the dead of night. He wanted to figure out what was causing them."

Roy stood and replaced his gloves, "Thank you for the information father.

Umber offered him a smile, "You're more than welcome, stay safe, son."

Roy offered the reverend a soft smile, "I'll certainly try."

-:-

Taking his leave of the church, Roy made his way down to the waterfront, determined to find a ride across the loch. The temperature had grown warmer during the last few days, causing the ice to grow thin and break apart. As such, Roy would need to find a boat willing to give him a ride. After being turned away several times, he finally found a boat willing to give him a ride for a price.

The waves rolling across the loch gave off a fine mist as they crashed against the hull of the small fishing boat. Roy was perched on the bow of the watercraft, gripping a rope tightly and shaking water out of his eye as the boat cut through the water. After twenty minutes or so, the boat came to a stop a short distance from the shore. Roy gave the fisherman a questioning look; the water was still waist high and jumping in now would mean soaked socks and other less savory things.

The fisherman gave him a deadpan look and flicked his head at the shore as if saying 'get.'

Roy sighed and vaulted over the side of the boat, gritting his teeth as he hit the cold water, The shock almost caused him to let slip a few choice words and the wade to shore felt unbearably slow, but finally his feet hit the sandy shore.

Drawing Black Orchid, Roy spun the chamber to the red dust and activated it. Immediately, the sword's blade was haloed by flames which Roy used to try and dry his clothes. The handle grew hot as the sword channeled the dust and Roy arched an eyebrow at his weapon.

_That's not supposed to happen,_ he thought.

When Roy had modified the sword's dust chamber during the semester, his work had been pretty clean for the most part. However, the heat in the handle signaled a possible weak spot in his insulation. Roy made a mental note to check over the sword later and slid it back into its sheath.

He began to walk into the woods, making sure to keep a firm hand on the sword's pommel as he traveled deeper and deeper into the trees. The forest was eerily silent; no birds singing or insects chirping. Roy kept his ears trained for any hint of noise, but the only thing he heard was the sound of his own footsteps. The whole area looked like it had been the site of a massive fire and was unusually warm. The trees were blackened, the foliage flaking into black specks that fluttered to the ground like inky snow. The air also smelled like smoke, as if the forest was still burning. As Roy stepped around a particularly large tree, an odd structure came into view. A circle of massive black standing stones, about 15 feet high, stood forbiddingly in the middle of a clearing. Many other standing stones were dotted around the edge of the clearing, most having fallen over through the ages.

Roy walked forward, his grip on Black Orchid's handle tightening as he neared the circle. In the center of the ring stood a large flat square of stone, a large circular pit descending several dozen feet into the earth carved out of the center. Around the four corners of the square, four wrought iron braziers stood like sentries. Roy drew closer to the slab and noticed something dark on the lip of the pit. Bending down, he discovered that it was a large bloodstain standing out against the light gray of the stone.

A chill ran up his spine as he thought about what kind of injuries would produce that amount of blood. As he straightened up, a flicker of green light caught his eye from a patch of tall grass at the base of one of the standing stones. Brushing aside the vegetation, Roy uncovered a cracked and bloodied scroll. Picking the device up, Roy powered it on to find it opened to the photo gallery app. The owner's gallery was completely empty, except for a single video clip.

Roy's eye narrowed; the thumbnail of the video showed a bloodied bearded man with wild large yellow lemur eyes. Shooting a cautionary glance around the clearing, Roy pressed play on the video.

"If anyone finds this," the man began in a breathless scared voice, "My name is David Rainere, the huntsman stationed here at Ulmsted. I was stationed here to protect the town but it's...It's all gone wrong." A shrieking wail echoed in the background of the video and Rainere grit his teeth, shutting his eyes as he began to cry blood. "AH Gods! It's coming. I must speak quickly. Don't trust the church...A wolf in sheep's clothing... did something…My scroll can't reach anyone outside the town. I tracked the signal jamming it to the bell tower of the church...But they wouldn't let me in." The huntsman shot a panicked look over his shoulder before continuing, "If any other huntsmen or huntresses find this, run...Get out of Ulmsted while you still can."

The wail echoed from the scroll, louder this time and suddenly, a clawed hand punched through Rainere's chest from behind. The scroll dropped to the ground revealing a large, clawed foot, Rainere screamed once before a sickening crunch sounded from the video and all went quiet.

A cold claw of fear wrapped itself around Roy's heart and set his hands shaking. He felt something wet slide down his cheeks and wiped at it with his fingers. He looked down to find his fingertips stained red with blood. A jolt of panic ran through him as he turned back to the video and watched as the clawed foot suddenly vanished into thin air. The video ended and Roy realized he'd been holding his breath.

A branch snapped somewhere in the woods, the sound as loud as a gunshot in Roy's ears. He shoved the scroll into his coat pocket and sprinted back towards the boat as fast as he could. As he ran, the woods became far more sinister. The black trees seemed to reach out a grasp at him and he could've sworn he saw something moving between them.

He didn't stop until he'd splashed through the shallows and boarded the boat. Even then, He kept his gaze trained on the shore until the boat had put out into deeper waters. As the burnt shore receded from view, Roy finally looked away to glance down at the scroll. His hand tightened around the device and he looked toward the church steeple in the distance.

Father Umber had some explaining to do.

**No rest for Team SHDE. It seems like something is still amiss in Ulmstead. Here's hoping Umber has answers to all of these questions.  
I wrote this chapter while studying Stonehenge and the sight of the monolith just excited me so I decided to add them into my story.  
This was the first story I wrote physically before I wrote it digitally. I have three small leather journals that contain the scribblings that make up this story. I hope it's enjoyable!**

**Until we next meet,**

**Ar3mRising.**


	13. Chapter 12: Darkness Encroaching

Roy walked toward the church, his fingers still wrapped protectively around David Rainere's scroll.

The discovery of the device had raised far more questions and he was hoping Umber had the answers. He finally walked up the front steps of the church and slipped inside, the heavy wooden door thudding shut behind him. The inside of the church was quiet, apart from a pair of muffled voices coming from Umber's office. Roy swiveled his ears upward in an attempt to catch the conversation and while he couldn't make out any actual words, he could tell that one of the speakers was Reese. The pilot's voice was raised and he was speaking in a very pointed manner, his tone of voice telling Roy that he was upset about something.

Suddenly, the office door thudded open and a second later, the pilot came thumping down the stairs. His eyes fell on Roy and he offered the faunus a smile, "Hey Roy! How've you been doing?"

The smile was strained and his eyes looked, for lack of a better word, sad.

"I've been better," Roy admitted, "I came to talk to the reverend." Sliding his hand into his pocket, he handed the letter from Goodwitch to the pilot. "Could you deliver this letter to Beacon please?"

Reese nodded, "Of course, of course. I'll be heading out tonight, gonna make a supply run to Vale."

Roy smiled, attempting to hide the unease bubbling in his stomach, "Well, fly safe."

Reese chuckled, "Oh don't worry, I will. Take care of yourself."

Reese went to step past Roy, but paused at the last second. "Oh! That reminds me, I wanted to personally thank you for saving my son."

Roy smiled sheepishly, scratching at one of his cat ears, "You don't need to thank me, I was just doing my job."

Reese placed a hand on his shoulder, "Well I'm just glad you were there, if you ever need anything just ask."

With that, the pilot turned and exited the church, the door shutting behind him with a gentle thud.

"Ah, Roy. Back so soon?"

Roy looked up to see Father Umber looking down at him, a quiet smile gracing his features. "Yes Father," he replied, "and I feel should apologize."

Father Umber's eyebrow rose, "Whatever for?"

Roy held up the scroll, "I went across the lake and had a look around."

Umber's features darkened ever so slightly, "And what, pray tell did you find?"

Roy coolly met his gaze, "It would be easier to show you…"

-:-

"Run… get out while you can!"

The shriek echoed once more from the scroll from where it sat on Umber's desk. The recording came to an end and silence descended over the office. Blood tears stained Roy's cheeks once more, seemingly caused by the odd cry from the video and he reached up to brush them away as Father Umber cleared his throat.

"Well, that is truly horrible," he said, steepling his fingers, "Where did you find the scroll?"

"A strange ritual site across the lake. I'm glad I found it before the snow came." The faunus replied, gazing out the windows at the big fluffy flakes that had just begun to fall.

Umber nodded, "Indeed, most fortunate."

Roy reached out to slide the scroll back toward himself, "I think Corvatts must've had something to do with this," he mused,

"What makes you think that?" Umber asked, his eyes tracking the scroll as it slid across the desk.

"Well," Roy began, "Rainere said that there was a wolf in sheep's clothing inside the church and Corvatts fits that description pretty well. You even called him 'a wolf in your midst' on the day we arrested him."

Umber nodded, "It does make sense, in a way," he said, thoughtfully.

Roy played with the scroll in his hands, "You don't think I'm right?" he asked.

The reverend shrugged, "I just think that you're giving the man too much credit."

Roy's eyebrow quirked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Umber gestured with his hand, "Corvatts was never the brightest man I knew. We used to be friends in our younger, more reckless days. He was the brawn, while I was the brains." Umber rubbed his temples, "A whole plan to kill three people is simply beyond his means. For starters, He would've needed prior knowledge of the farms day to day workings to figure out an ideal time to strike."

Roy held up his hand, "We did find proof that he'd been watching the farm for a while. The Harabel's ledger said so."

Umber nodded, "And by the looks of this video, Rainere was killed by some strange grimm."

Roy thought for a moment, "True..." he began, "I still think Corvatts lured him to the other side of the loch somehow."

Umber grunted, "Possibly. Yet, Even with all of these stars aligned. He made several major mistakes during the course of this plan."

Roy nodded, "He allowed himself to be seen by the Harabels, he neglected to fashion himself a decent alibi and he kept incriminating evidence in his room."

Umber tapped the table with his fingers thoughtfully. "It was almost as if he knew he wouldn't be found guilty, even if he was caught. He thought he had all of the pieces on his side of the board." The reverend chuckled darkly, "Pity he'd lost the king."

Roy tilted his head to the side, "I'm not following." Umber steepled his fingers once more as he continued, "He was probably expecting me to take his side, to pull the wool over your eyes so to speak. Doubtless he also hoped I would create an alibi for him."

Roy frowned as he tried to process this, "That's ridiculous."

Umber snorted, "Indeed it is. Especially considering how many blunders he'd committed. Any defense on my part would have cast suspicions on me. Preposterous." Umber said the last word slowly, as if thinking over it, "Yes, quite preposterous to think I would help him. Honestly, He did such a poor job with everything, but even I didn't think he'd be idiotic enough to keep such damning evidence in his own living quarters. He couldn't even find that scroll when I sent him to find it." Umber rubbed his chin, "Figures trusting him with something that important would backfire. Ah well, Live and learn. If you want something done right, do it yourself. "

The scroll slipped through Roy's fingers, landing on the table with a clatter, "Wait...What?"

Umber shrugged, "I thought my plan was simple enough… Apparently it wasn't simple for Corvatts."

Roy gripped the arms of his chair as his mind tried to comprehend what the reverend was telling him. "What plan?"

Umber leaned back in his chair, regarding Roy with an even stare. "Why, the plan to murder the Haribels to distract you from learning what really happened to David Rainere."

Roy stood quickly, his heart pounding in his ears, _He couldn't… he didn't… why?... why?_ "Why?!" Roy cried, "What do you have to gain?!"

Umber steepled his fingers, "Many things. But the most important one is time."

Roy's eyes narrowed, "Time for what?"

Umber chuckled, "Sorry, I won't be saying. You do play an important role in the events to come, so I'll have to ask you to stick around."

Roy clenched his fists, "I'm not staying for anything, I'm getting my team out of here as soon as I can."

Umber snorted, clearly unimpressed with the faunus's declaration. "Please, The forests are full of grimm and there are sheer cliffs on all sides of us. The only person who flies out of Ulmsted is Reese and he won't be helping you any time soon."

Roy's blood ran cold, "What do you mean?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I mean I've had one of my subordinates cut the fuel lines on Reese's ship," Umber said, his eyes darkening as he spoke. "He should be able to get just beyond the mountains before he crashes. Even if he survives, there's always the grimm to finish the jo-"

Roy didn't stay to hear the rest. Before Umber had finished, the faunus turned and bolted from the room. He practically flew down the stairs and through the front doors of the church, his feet pounding the snow as he sped across the square. He had to try and catch Reese before he took off, he had to! His feet hit a patch of ice hidden by the snow and he fell, skidding across the cobblestone. He pulled himself to his feet and continued running. ignoring his scraped and bloodied hands. His keen ears caught the sound of engines revving up and pushed himself to go faster. But for all his speed, he was still too late.

He skidded to a stop at the landing pad just in time to see Reese's ship soar away into the snowy afternoon. Roy dropped heavily to his knees, watching the ship as it grew smaller and smaller. His vision blurred and stung and the faunus realized he was crying. His hands curled into fists in the snow as the cold sadness twisted into white hot fury in his heart.

Dragging himself to his feet, Roy turned and stalked back through town, his vision flickering red with anger. When he reached the church doors, he threw them open with a bang that echoed through the marble halls. The doors to the sanctuary were open and Roy could see Father Umber sitting in the front most pew, his head bowed as if in prayer. Gripping Black Orchid's handle tightly, Roy moved forward into the candle-lit room. His footsteps echoed through the room, but if Umber heard him, he didn't acknowledge it.

Roy came to a stop next to the reverend, his hands shaking with anger. "You murderous snake!" he spat, trying his hardest not to leap on Umber.

The reverend chuckled, "Murderous? Me? My dear boy, one cannot make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Reese knew about the plan. He is the fourth of a line of pilots, just as Rainere was the fourth huntsmen we've had. When we need to bring in new blood, Reese is the one who flies them here. But then he suddenly developed a conscience and I'm having to clean up another loose end."

Roy's ears flattened along his skull, "He had a wife and son!" he cried, his voice echoing around the room.

Umber nodded gravely, "Yes, and the church will be there for them in this trying time."

Roy pointed out of the still open church doors at the quiet town outside. "I will tell everyone what you've done. I will make sure everyone knows what you are."

Umber stood and faced Roy, the same cold smile from earlier playing across his face. "Yes, tell them how Father Umber, the kind and compassionate leader of the church orchestrated the murder of three of his own congregation, to hide the unfortunate death of the local huntsman. I'm sure they'll believe a faunus's word over mine." Umber strode passed Roy, walked toward the altar. "On the off chance that someone did believe you, this town has a way of making problems...disappear."

Roy's heart dropped into his toes. Umber was right and if what Rainere said about the jamming device was true, then there was no way he would calling back to the school for help. And now with Reese gone, their only means of escape had disappeared. They were trapped.

Umber came to a stop in front of the statue, gazing up at the large black figure. Roy followed him, making sure to keep some distance between them just in case he tried anything.

"Why does everyone here hate faunus so much?" he asked cautiously.

Umber snorted, "Besides the obvious?" he asked scornfully.

Roy took a step forward, "That's just it!" he exclaimed, "What is the obvious?"

Father Umber continued looking at the statue, "The fact that you faunus are impostors, mere shades of our God's true children."

Roy scowled, "Humans?" he said questioningly.

"The creatures of grimm." Umber corrected, "They are his true children, they were here before us, created by him personally."

Umber turned to Roy, his finger pointing at him. "Faunus are abominations. Clawing your way out of the mud after the Gods deserted this world."

The reverend turned and grasped the red cloth at the base of the statue. He swept it aside with a swift tug, revealing what lay underneath. Beneath the statue's heel was a naked humanoid figure. Roy's blood chilled as he saw that the figure had a pair of floppy dog ears rendered in the features of its head. Umber turned to face Roy again and gestured at the statue. "Faunus are nothing but dirt to be crushed under our master's feet. Nothing would please me more than to see you all disposed of."

The calm, matter-of-fact way he said this overwhelmed Roy's final nerve and the faunus bolted from the sanctuary. He ran all the way back to the Naked Nevermore, not stopping until he crossed the threshold of the tavern. Moving quickly through the dining area, he climbed the stairs two at a time until he threw the door of his room open. Ebony looked up at him from where she was playing with Sadie on the floor.

"Roy? What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Roy walked to the bed and grabbed his bag, "Pack some winter clothes, we're leaving." he stated.

Ebony blinked in surprise, "Leaving? But we're supposed to be here for another few months!"

Roy rounded on her, almost shouting at this point, "Ebony please! I don't have time to explain!"

Ebony went quiet and set Sadie on her bed before starting to pack a smaller bag she'd brought along. Roy finished throwing clothes in his bag and walked toward the door. "Once you're done, let Hunter and Dahlia know. I need to talk to Momo."

Ebony nodded, "What time should I tell them we're meeting Reese?"

Roy only half heard her, "Reese…?"

Ebony nodded, "He's our ride isn't he?"

Roy's heart sank, "Reese is gone." he said simply, "Meet me downstairs in five minutes."

He threw his bag over his shoulder and swept from the room. As he descended the stairs, he caught sight of Momo standing behind the bar.

Her eyes lit up as she saw him making his way through the tables toward her, "Roy! Is there something I can do for you?"

Roy nodded, "Yes, my team and I are going out on a scouting trip for a while and we need someone to keep an eye on Sadie for us."

Momo pointed to herself, "Of course I'll do it. Two eyes when I can spare them."

Roy mumbled his thanks before leaning on the bar and waiting for his team. The time seemed to drag on and Roy was very much on edge. His eye swept around the dining room, his ears swiveling furiously in an attempt to catch wind of any possible threats. Eventually, he heard the sound of his teammates descending the stairs. He looked up as they entered the dining room and made their way to him.

"What are we going to do with Sadie?" Ebony asked once they got closer.

Roy gestured to Momo, "I asked her to keep an eye on Sadie while we're gone." he replied.

Dahlia spoke next, "What is going on Roy?"

The faunus shook his head, "I'll explain later, I promise. But not here."

Dahlia and Hunter shared a concerned look before nodding to him. With one final nod to Momo, Roy led his team out of the Naked Nevermore. As they walked through town and into the woods, he once more felt the unfriendly eyes on him as he walked. The feeling caused his hand to be almost constantly on his sword hilt, white-knuckling the leather grip until his hand ached. The team walked through the woods until the Harabel's farmhouse came into view once more. Roy jogged across the field, keeping an eye out for grimm as the team followed him across the open space.

Reaching the farmhouse, Roy opened the door and gestured for the team to go inside. Following after them, Roy shut the door and bolted it, glancing quickly through a small pane of glass set in the door to make sure they hadn't been followed.

"Roy please! What in Remnant is going on?!" Ebony exclaimed, causing Roy to turn and find his team standing awkwardly in the living room.

The Harabel's bodies had been removed and some effort had been made to straighten the room. The only sign of the gruesome scene that remained was a section of the wooden floor where the blood had seeped too deeply into the boards to be completely cleaned. Roy leaned against the entryway wall and sighed, trying his best to find the right words to explain everything. "Umber has been orchestrating everything. The Harabel's murder, Rainere's disappearance, our scrolls being jammed...All of it." The words tasted bitter in his mouth and he took a breath, "Umber also arranged for Reese's ship to crash. He's probably dead by now."

He watched as each of his teammates reacted to the news. Ebony's tail lashed from side to side as her face darkened, her hands curling into white-knuckled fists. Hunter and Dahlia simply looked shocked, as if the concept of betrayal was foreign to them.

It probably is, Roy thought, They aren't used to a world of betrayal and death… not yet.

"What happened to Rainere?" Ebony asked, her teeth clenched in anger.

Roy took out the bloody, broken scroll and placed it on the vanity against the wall. The device paired itself with the built-in holoscreen and Roy pressed play on the video message. He watched his teammates as the video played out, noting as streaks of red spilled down Ebony's cheeks, but not Dahlia or Hunter's.

_So, the beast's cry only effects faunus,_ He thought, wiping away his own bloody tears. When the video reached Rainere's death, Roy heard Dahlia give a little scream as the taloned hand punched through the huntsmen's chest. The video came to an end and Roy's teammates turned to him, the horror plain on their faces.

"Wh-What is that thing?" Dahlia stammered, visibly shaking.

Roy shook his head, "I...don't know. It's not like any grimm I've ever seen before."

Hunter gripped Dahlia's shoulder a little tighter, his face betraying his fear, "And Umber is behind this as well?" he asked.

Roy nodded, "He told me himself."

Ebony blinked, "Why would he do that?"

The anger came bubbling back up and Roy grit his teeth, snarling. "He knows we can't do anything about it. We're a faunus led team in a town of faunus hating people. Who'd listen to us?"

Dahlia chewed her lip, "Did you ever find out why everyone dislikes faunus?"

Roy nodded and quickly explained the role the town's religion played in its prejudices.

Ebony's tail bristled as she listened, "That's barbaric!" she exploded as Roy finished the explanation, "How can anyone believe such nonsense?"

Roy rubbed his eyes, "Your guesses are as good as mine." He sank down into sitting position and ran his hand through his hair, "We can't leave, the town is only accessible by airship. At this point, our best bet is to hide until we can figure out how to disable the jammer. As you heard in the video, Rainere found where it is. I just don't know exactly where on the bell tower it is."

Dahlia managed to muster a weak smile, "That's something at least!"

Roy nodded, "Yeah… something," he said, gloomily.

Ebony smoothed her coat tails leaving drops of blood on the fabric. "Well if we're going to stay here we need to see how much food we have."

Dahlia opened her pack and pulled out several bags of trail mix, "Don't worry guys! We're saved!" she said, tossing one of the bags up and down in her hand.

As bad as he felt, a snort of laughter forced its way past his nose, "The queen of snacks does it again," he murmured, turning to follow Ebony into the kitchen.

He found her standing in front of the fridge with the door open, taking stock of the food inside. Her tail swayed from side to side, betraying her agitated state of mind.

"What do we have?" Roy asked.

Ebony shut the fridge door with a sigh, "Canned fruit, eggs, vegetables and a leftover casserole."

Roy raised an eyebrow, "And the pantry?"

Ebony gestured to the cabinet next to the stove, "Some cereal, popcorn and canned soups. All in all, we should be good for a couple weeks."

Roy sighed, "Are you okay?" he asked, gripping Ebony's hand and inspecting the palm, where Ebony's nails had cut into her palm from squeezing so hard.

Ebony grasped his hand tightly, looking at him with scared eyes. "No. We're trapped here with a faunus-hating cult on our tails. We can't call for backup, we can't even leave for crying out loud!"

Roy pulled his teammate into a hug, patting her back comfortingly, "There, there Eb, we'll be fine."

Ebony pushed him away slightly, "How can you say that?!" she cried, tears springing to her eyes, "You don't know, you can't know!"

Roy shook his head, "No, But what I do know is that our teammates will always have our backs."

Ebony dashed her tears away, sniffling slightly. "We can't always be there for each other," she murmured.

Roy gripped her gently by the shoulder, "We will be when it counts."

Ebony started to argue but Roy cut her off, "Ebony, right now we don't have time to worry about what could happen."

She nodded, "You're right, I'm sorry."

Roy smiled, despite himself, "Don't be, at least I know someone cares about this team."

He heard Dahlia scoff from the entrance of the kitchen, "As if! We all care about this team!" She stepped forward, followed by Hunter. "No matter what comes our way, we'll get through it."

Roy nodded, trying to ignore the nagging doubt in his own mind. Despite his own words, he was just as scared for the future as Ebony was.

"Guys…" he began, "Could we group hug? Like now?"

Dahlia grinned and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Roy. Ebony joined her and Hunter enveloped all of them. They stayed that way for several minutes, simply enjoying the feeling of being together. Eventually, they broke apart.

"What time is it?" Roy asked.

Hunter pulled out his scroll to check, "3:30." he said, "We missed lunch."

Roy grimaced as his stomach growled, "How about we eat something quick. No use planning on an empty stomach."

A chorus of affirmation later, team SHDE set about preparing a modest meal using a mix of food they'd found. They finished the meal in short order and placed their dishes in the sink. As he rinsed his plate off, Roy noticed Hunter looking troubled, "Hunter, is something wrong?"

The taller boy sighed and gestured to the house, "I don't know, I just can't shake this feeling of guilt. We're essentially taking over someone's home and eating their food."

Dahlia gently touched Hunter's arm, "Desperate times call for desperate measures," she said softly, glancing up at him with her steel blue eyes.

Hunter nodded and retreated from the kitchen while Roy and Ebony started on the dishes. By the time they finished cleaning up, it was 5:00. Roy followed Hunter into the living room and sat down in one of two wooden chairs facing the love seat. Ebony came in one soon after, drying her hands on a dish towel.

"So," Hunter asked, "What's the plan?"

Roy fiddled with the arm of the chair. "Well I don't think we can handle this on our own. Our priority is disabling the jammer. How to do that is the 20,000 lien question."

Dahlia raised her hand, "Could Hunter and I do it?"

Roy shook his head, "You both have very...distinct builds. Even if you got in, someone might recognize you."

Ebony spoke up, "I think our best bet would be to cause a distraction, then slip inside during the chaos."

Roy fixed Ebony with an inquisitive eye. "What kind of distraction?"

Ebony pulled a single glowing red crystal from the pouch on her belt and tossed it to Roy, who caught it.

"I've found that fire is always a good distraction," she said, allowing a sly smile to creep across her face.

Roy grinned at the crystal, "I like the way you think."

Dahlia looked torn, "You guys sure you're okay with burning something down for a distraction?"

Ebony shrugged, "I did it all the time when I was with the White Fang."

Hunter's brow furrowed and he looked like he was about to lecture Ebony about the implications of shrugging off arson.

Roy held up his hand, "Hunter, Lia. We need a distraction. This is the best thing we have. Besides, the town is by a lake, the fire will be out before much damage occurs."

The two human teammates shared a look before turning back to Roy, "We trust you." Hunter said.

Roy bowed his head gratefully, "Thank you both, I promise you that I will try and get us out of this safely."

His teammates nodded back, the smiles on their faces filling Roy with determination. Despite the odds being stacked against them, despite Umber having some unknown plan for him, He swore to himself that, no matter what it took, he would get his team home.

_Even if I don't go with them._

**Well, the true master mind is revealed. I had the idea for Umber to be the main villain from the beginning but how to do that without making it ridiculously obvious. Reese originally made it until the end, but I felt he caused too many loopholes...so I made an omelet. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!**

**Until we next meet,**

**Ar3mRising.**


	14. Chapter 13: The Creation of Emotion

That night, as the snow continued to fall, Team SHDE curled up in the kitchen in front of the lit oven to stay warm. Dahlia and Hunter cuddled under a large quilt they'd scavenged from upstairs and Ebony was curled up underneath Roy's outer coat. They had all nodded off a while ago, the heat from the oven hastening their descent into dreams. Roy, however, was still awake, watching the snow drift down outside the window. He glanced at his scroll, the clock in the corner reading 10:38. He sighed and slipped the device back into the pocket of the light jacket he wore under his coat.

The night seemed somehow darker, as if any external natural light had been extinguished. The house was quiet and still around him, making the darkness that filled the nooks and crannies of the room much more pronounced. Somewhere, a lone cricket who had survived the cold chirped softly, performing a baleful duet with the soft hum of the refrigerator.

Roy shot a covert glance at Ebony as she slept. Her ponytail was draped over one shoulder and her delicate eyelashes looked especially dainty against the paleness of her skin. Roy quickly looking away, feeling his cheeks heat up as he blushed. Roy's scroll suddenly buzzed in his pocket, causing him to jump slightly. Sliding the device out once more, he squinted at the vibrant screen to find that someone was calling him.

Swiping the phone icon to answer, Roy turned the volume as low as he could and held the scroll close to his ear. "Who is this?" he whispered.

"Roy?" Momo's voice answered, "Is that you?"

Roy quickly got up, careful not to disturb his teammates, and moved into the living room to continue the conversation. "Momo? How did you get my number?" he asked.

"You gave it when you checked into your room. Never mind that, Where are you?"

Roy sighed, "I...can't tell you that."

Momo made an exasperated noise, "You'd better tell me something. Father Umber claimed that you framed Corvatts for the murder."

Roy blinked, "W-What?!" he exclaimed, "That's ridiculous!"

"Is it?" the accusatory tone in the barmaid's voice caused Roy to cringe slightly. "What am I supposed to think when you leave on such short notice?"

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to think. If he told Momo anything, he would be putting her in danger. He couldn't, in good conscience, do that to her.

"Things are complicated right now." he said lamely.

"Complicated how?" the barmaid said, clearly irritated.

"I can't tell you!" Roy said miserably.

"Why?" Momo cried, "Why can't you tell me?"

Roy looked skyward, begging the Gods for strength, "It's too dangerous Momo, you're better off not knowing."

There was a long period of silence before Momo spoke again. "That isn't your decision to make, but I'll trust you. Can you at least tell me if you're safe?"

Roy sighed, "We are. How's Sadie?"

Momo chuckled, "She's well, misses you something awful. When can I tell her you'll be back?"

Roy sank down onto the loveseat with a sigh, "I don't know."

Another moment of silence passed. "Can I meet you somewhere tonight?" Momo asked, "...To talk?"

Roy cleared his throat awkwardly, "I don't know, I can't meet you in town and I don't want you to know where we are."

Momo was quiet for a moment, "What if I came to you?"

Roy chewed his lip, "The forest is teaming with grimm at this time of night."

Momo made an exasperated noise, "Damn you're right. Could you meet me halfway?"

The faunus considered the proposition, "I guess-"

"Great!" Momo exclaimed, cutting him off, "Meet me in the woods just behind the storehouse on the west side of Ulmsted in 15 minutes."

Roy sighed, "I'll be there." he mumbled.

"Alrighty," the barmaid said, sounding quite pleased with herself, "I'll see you then!"

-:-

15 minutes later, Roy stood amongst the trees, waiting for the barmaid to appear. His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets and his breath rose in clouds of fog into the late night air. Roy's back was currently up against a large birch tree, the trunk between him and the town. He fidgeted slightly, the cold making his faunus ear tips ache slightly.

Suddenly, his ears picked up the sound of someone moving through the snow off to his right. Looking in the direction of the sound, Roy saw a figure wrapped in a gray cloak moving slowly away from Olmsted. Stepping out from under the tree, Roy crept toward the figure and stole up behind them. He reached out and firmly grasped the figure's shoulder, "Momo?"

The barmaid squeaked and spun around. Roy caught the gleam of a knife and leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding the keen edge.

"It's me!" he exclaimed, holding his hands up defensively.

Momo kept the knife pointed at him, "Don't sneak up on me like that!" she cried, her voice shrill with panic.

Roy eyed the knife, "What were you hoping to do with that?" he asked, his eye brow rising slightly.

Momo, slid the knife back into a sheath on her belt, "Defend myself! What else? Ugh, my heart is beating a mile a minute."

Roy rubbed his neck sheepishly, "Sorry."

The barmaid sighed, "Don't apologize. I'm just glad you're safe."

Roy cast a wary eye towards the shadowy buildings and well-lit windows of Olmsted, "Could we continue this away from town?" he asked.

Momo started walking farther into the woods, motioning Roy to follow, "Of course, come on."

The two of them walked for a while in silence, not speaking a word again until the last sign of Ulmsted had vanished into the trees.

"So… Father Umber is lying, right?" Momo asked in a quiet voice.

Roy gave the barmaid a sidelong glance, "Of course he is! My team and I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Corvatts murdered Sadie's parents. He's just trying to discredit my team and I."

Momo's brow furrowed, "Why would Father Umber do that?"

Roy sighed, "I… can't tell you that."

Momo scowled at him, "What could you have done that would make Father Umber want to discredit you?"

Roy met her scowl with an even gaze, "I found out something I shouldn't have."

The barmaid's scowl deepened, "You can't tell me what that thing is, can you?"

Roy's faunus ears drooped and he looked away, shaking his head.

"Gods Dammit Roy!" Momo grabbed the collar of his coat and made him look her in the face again.

"You don't need to protect me. I'm not a child!"

Roy looked up at her, his eyes blazing, "I do need to protect you! It's my job as a Huntsman!"

Momo released him and turned away, "And it's my job as your friend to help you," she said quietly, "How can I help you if you don't tell me the truth?"

Roy reached out to grasp Momo's shoulder. As he did, he felt a stabbing pain in his own shoulder just above his shoulder blade.

"Ah!" An exclamation of pain escaped him as he reached back and gripped the object protruding from shoulder. He pulled it free with a quick yank and held it up to inspect it. The snow had stopped a while ago and the clouds had pulled back, allowing the moonlight to reflect off of a metal dart. The tip of the dart was crimson with his blood and the clear plastisteel center of the dart revealed a small amount of blue liquid.

Roy's eyes suddenly lost focus and he staggered forward, dropping the dart in the snow as he did. His limbs felt like lead, his every movement feeling sluggish and his head dipped forward.

"Mo… mo?" he groaned as the vertigo finally drove him to all fours.

Momo seemed to move in slow motion as she turned, looking concerned at the sight of Roy on his hands and knees.

"Roy?"

her voice fought through the mist descending on Roy's senses. He struggled to reach out toward her, but his strength failed and he slid sideways until he was lying on his side in the snow. He felt Momo drop down beside him and grip his shoulder right before his world went black.

-:-

Roy came to on his knees, his arms held securely behind him by two people. His vision was full of worn and mossy flagstones and his head was pounding. He squeezed his eye shut and groaned as the pain peaked.

"Ah, you're awake, good." A voice spoke from somewhere in front of him.

Roy cracked his eye open again, "Ungh...where am I?" he asked.

"You're right where you need to be," the voice replied, "Courtesy of a very potent tranquilizer dart. Surprisingly cheap if you know where to look."

Roy looked up to see Father Umber standing on the square of stone at the center of the ancient ritual site. He was wearing a long black robe with purple lining tied with a red cord. In one hand he held a dagger with a wavy blade, the keen edge gleaming wickedly in the light of the four braziers. Roy struggled to shake off the lingering effects of the tranquilizer,

"Whatever you're going to do, do it. Just let my team leave, please." His gaze flashed around the ritual circle and spotted Black Orchid leaning against one of the standing stones, well out of his reach.

Umber looked down at him coldly, "You're hardly in a position to negotiate. But, if you're promising to go along with this, I see no reason not to allow you this final request."

Roy glared at Umber, his blood boiling at the look of righteous smugness on the man's face, "Just get it over with already!" he snapped.

"Now now," Umber chided, "No need to be so bitter. We would've caught you eventually, with or without Miss Momo's help."

"Roy! I didn't know, I swear!"The barmaid's voice, shrill with panic, came from somewhere off to his left.

Craning his neck, Roy struggled to look over at where she was. Momo, like Roy, was held fast by two robed figures. Her cloak lay discarded off to the side and she was left in her normal Barmaid's attire.

"You should believe her. She never knew we had someone following her, hoping she would lead us to you." Umber said, walking over and gently cupping Momo's chin.

Roy struggled against his captors, "Let her go! She doesn't know anything. I didn't tell her, I swear!"

Umber nodded, "I believe you son, the look of confusion on her face when we captured you told me as much."

Umber motioned to the two men holding Roy down and they lifted him by his arms, bringing him forward to kneel in front of Umber at the edge of the circular pit.

"Wait!" Momo cried, "What are you going to do to him?"

The reverend shot her a disdainful glance, "I don't have to explain anything. But his blood will bring about a series of events that will put this world back into its proper order."

Umber slowly placed the dagger against Roy's throat, the steel cold against his skin. Roy gritted his teeth and closed his eye, waiting for the knife to slice into his flesh.

"STOP!" Momo's voice cut through the air once more. "Please let him go! I'll...I'll take his place."

The knife disappeared from Roy's throat and the faunus opened his eye to see Umber pointing it at the barmaid. "One more word from you and I'll have you gagged. This ritual requires the blood of a faunus and you are not a faunus."

Momo bowed her head, "I am a faunus."

The declaration hung on the air, the words drifting away on the north wind that rattled through the burnt trees. Umber's eyebrow rose and he shifted his grip on the knife. "Prove it." he ordered. The two men holding Momo let go and she reached behind, unlacing the top of her skirt. From the opening, a fluffy, red and white tail with a black tip emerged and waved proudly behind the barmaid.

Roy's eyes widened as he watched the red panda tail sway gracefully and Momo gave him an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, I was going to tell you."

Umber walked toward the barmaid and came to a stop in front of her, looking down to lock his hazel eyes with her maroon ones. "You will die in his place and it will be painful, are you still willing?" he asked.

"NO!" Roy shouted, straining against the two men holding him back, "Momo don't do this, not for me!"

Momo's eyes grew misty with tears, "I am." she answered Umber, wiping at her eyes with her hand. She was scared, it was plain to see.

_Why is she doing this? I can't let her. I won't let her!_ Roy thought, fighting desperately against his captors. _This is wrong, She can't!..._ "No! I won't let you!" he cried, finally managing to get one of his legs under him.

The two men who had been holding Momo leapt to help their fellows drag Roy away from the circular pit. He fought tooth and nail, putting all he had in his bid for freedom. He gave one good wrench and felt his shoulder pop from its socket. Roy cried out and went limp as an intense pain blossom in his arm; a horrible burning sensation that made fighting excruciating.

He watched in horror as Umber lead Momo to the edge of the pit. The reverend said something to the barmaid that Roy couldn't hear and she nodded, tears running down her face.

"Momo!" he screamed, struggling despite the horrible pain in his arm.

The barmaid turned and offered him a tearful smile, "It's okay...you're worth it." She turned to Umber, "I'm ready."

Umber nodded and raised the knife toward the stars. "With this blood we summon you, our master to this tainted world!" With that, Umber swung the knife across the barmaid's tender throat.

Roy often counted his heightened senses as a blessing, but at that moment he would've given anything to be without them. His ears, hearing the gut wrenching sound of the knife slicing into Momo's flesh and the soft gasp she let out as her hand flew to the wound. His nose, filling with the scent of her blood as it gushed through her fingers as she desperately tried to keep her life from draining away. His eye, watching all of this as though it were clear as day. The blood staining the barmaid's clothing. The pained look on her face, tinged with fear. The way she slid to her knees, then slowly slid sideways as her strength dripped through her fingers. Roy heard a ragged guttural cry, more animal than human tear itself from his throat.

He struggled wildly, fighting like a wild animal that had been corned, trying once more to get free. He had to reach her; if he could just get to her she would be okay. Umber, still holding the bloody knife, motioned to the men holding Roy, "Let him up, nothing can stop this now."

Roy felt the weight vanish from his arms and he staggered to his feet and lurched toward Momo's still form. Tears blurred his vision as he dropped to his knees beside her and gathered her into his uninjured arm. The barmaid stirred feebly, her hand rising to gently touch his cheek. The light in her eyes died with a flicker and her arm dropped down as her final breath left her.

"I… I…" Roy choked on his words, the lump in his throat preventing him from speaking. The tears finally spilled over and dripped slowly down his cheek. He reached over and gently closed Momo's eyes, using his sleeve to wipe some of the blood from her face.

"Do not weep for her." Umber's voice came from behind him, "She has served a glorious purpose. Besides, you'll be joining her soon."

The flickering embers of Roy's despair flared into a white hot rage that burned him from the inside out. _Umber never meant to keep his promises...any of them._ Roy lifted Momo slightly as he turned to face the reverend. "You…" he snarled, clutching the barmaid's body to his chest, "You!" His aura felt like it was on fire, his eye glowing blue in the dark of the ritual site. "You're DEAD!" he yelled, the final word shouted with such intensity that his throat burned and his voice broke.

What felt like a gust of wind suddenly erupted from the circular pit behind him, causing Momo's dress to flutter in the rush of air. The air suddenly became full of a rotten, dead sort of smell and an odd chittering noise came from behind him. Umber's face blanched and he looked over Roy's head at whatever had emerged from the pit. Roy didn't care what was behind him, he only had eyes for Umber. He wanted the human to suffer; he wanted him to die screaming.

A shrieking cry split the air, causing Roy's ears to flatten to his skull and bloody tears to mix with his own tears on his face. Umber fell to his knees, directing the four other men to do the same, and raised his arms toward the thing. "Oh great Calamity! You have graced us with your presence! Go forth and deliver your-"

He never finished. A hand the size of Roy's head shot forward and grabbed Umber by the throat, dragging him forward. The hand held the reverend aloft, his legs dangling a few feet from where Roy was sitting. Roy looked up and watched the man struggle to breath as the hand tightened around his throat,

"N-no" Umber rasped, "Kill the imposters!"

The creature broke Umber's neck with a quick twist of its wrist. As it dropped the reverend's body like a broken doll, two other hands flashed out from behind Roy and raced toward the other robed men. They cried out in fear, scrambling backwards as the taloned fingers reached for them. One hand punched through one of the men, splattering his fellows with a fine mist of blood. The other hand grasped another man around his head and crushed his skull like an egg.

The two remaining men fled screaming into the woods and the creature leapt over Roy as if to give chase. It must have thought better of it, because a second later, the beast's taloned feet entered his view. Roy slowly allowed his eyes to travel up the creature, taking in every terrifying detail.

It was humanoid in shape, but was larger than any man Roy had ever seen. It had four arms protruding from its deceptively malnourished looking torso. Each arm ended in four fingered hands, each finger tipped with razor sharp talons. It had a vulture's head with a cruel curved beat that made a harsh clacking noise as it opened and closed. The creature's eyes blazed, glowing brighter than the markings on its bone mask.

A smell, akin to rotting flesh, emanated from the creature, stinging Roy's nostrils and causing his eyes to water. It opened its beak, revealing a glowing maw, and shrieked into the faunus's face, causing Roy to shrink away as bloody tears cascaded down his face. The grimm raised one of its hands, preparing to bring it down and kill the faunus kneeling before it. Roy gripped Momo's body closer to him and gazed defiantly up at the creature, determined to meet his end looking his killer in the eye.

A human cry rang out and Hunter suddenly slammed bodily into the grimm, knocking it away from his teammate. Someone stepped in front of Roy and he looked up to see Ebony standing there, between him and the creature. Dahlia sprang up next to Hunter, Comodia and Tragoedia twirling deftly in her hands.

"Get away from him!" She yelled at the grimm.

It shrieked again, obviously upset at being denied its prey. Ebony faltered slightly as the cry affected her, but remained standing tall. Hunter, the closest to the grimm, shot Roy a concerned glance. It only took a second, but that was all the creature needed to find an opening. It pounced, swinging out with its fist and caught the taller boy in the chest. Hunter was tossed backwards like a rag doll, bouncing painfully across the ground before one of the standing stones arrested his momentum. Dahlia let out a cry of rage and darted past the creature, launching herself onto its back. She sank her weapons up to their hilts into the grimm's flesh and pulled the triggers sending several dust rounds slamming into the creature's back. It shrieked in pain, twisting furiously to dislodge the tiny huntress.

Dahlia held on as long as she could, but in the end it wasn't her grip that gave out. It was her weapons that slowly but surely slid out of the creature's back, causing Dahlia to be thrown into one of the standing stones where she slid down to the ground and lay motionless in the grass. Ebony stayed where she was and twirled Archimedes, sending a ball of fire slamming into the creature's back. It shrieked as the flesh on its back bubbled and blistered as the attack did its work. Swatting at the flames dancing along its shoulders, the grimm turned and vanished like a specter into the surrounding woods.

Ebony dropped to her knees in front of Roy, shaking like a leaf and breathing hard. She dropped Archimedes and clasped his face in her hands, "We got here as fast as we could!-" Her words died on her lips as she realized what Roy was holding. "Oh Roy… Oh Gods, Momo… Why was she here?"

Roy wanted to tell her, wanted to say something...but the words never came.

Dahlia staggered over and dropped to one knee beside them with a groan, "Ugh, I think I have a concussion… The-" Her eyes focused on Momo's still form in Roy's arms. "W-what's wrong with Momo?" she stammered, "She's… She's just unconscious… right?"

Ebony blinked back tears and shook her head, "No Lia… Momo's gone."

Dahlia's eyes widened and she looked at Momo's body. "But… But she was… we just saw her…" She leaned over and gently shook the barmaid's arm, "Come on Momo, wake up…"

Hunter limped over and took the scene in a glance. Kneeling down next to Dahlia, he gently grasped her shoulder and gently pulled her away from Momo's body.

Dahlia looked at him forlornly, as if pleading with him to help her...then her eyes slowly filled with tears and she buried her face in his chest. Ebony wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand, dashing away the tears that sprang up.

Roy didn't move, he simply clutched Momo's body closer to his body and allowed his head to sink down until his chin touched his chest. His arm throbbed painfully, but he ignored it; content to just sit and let himself sink into the depths of despair.

**Wow...I just don't really have much to say here. Thanks for reading.**

**Until next we meet,**

**Ar3mRising. **


	15. Chapter 14: Not In Vain

"Roy… Roy!"

Roy's head jerked up as someone called his name. He saw Ebony still kneeling in front of him, her green eyes full of concern. Roy suddenly realized his arms were empty and he looked down at them. His injured arm hung uselessly at his side, still throbbing painfully. He lifted his uninjured hand to see that both his coat sleeve and hand was still stained crimson.

His gaze drifted around the ritual site, finally settling on Momo's body which lay a few feet away; her gray cloak draped over her. Roy allowed his gaze to return to his bloodied hand and he clenched it so tightly his knuckles popped. Tears slowly dripped down his cheek, blurring his vision and making him all too aware how cold it was outside as they froze on his face.

"She died for me…" he choked, his throat burning from the effort, "Umber was going to kill me and she… she… Why!?" His uninjured hand gripped his head tightly, "I…I didn't want her to!"

Roy sobbed openly and Ebony gently pulled him into an embrace, trying her best to console him. Roy gripped his teammate like a lifeline, feeling as though if he let go, he'd never resurface from the morass of sadness threatening to engulf him.

"I should've died instead," He whispered bitterly.

He felt Ebony's grip tighten on the back of his jacket and she pulled him tighter to her.

"Are you hurt?" she asked softly. Roy nodded into her shoulder, "I think my shoulder is dislocated."

Ebony gently held him at arm's length and inspected his arm, removing her gloves to gently poke and prod the injured area. She touched a particularly painful spot and Roy let out a gasp of pain.

"You're right," Ebony said, "It's badly dislocated, I won't be able to get it back in by myself."

Roy nodded and offered her his good arm, "Help me up."

Ebony gave him a questioning look, "Are you sure?" she asked, "You look like you're about to faint."

Roy nodded once more, "I'm sure, Please." Ebony looked torn, but after a moment she gripped the offered arm and hoisted him to his feet. He swayed unsteadily for a few seconds before he recovered what remained of his balance and allowed Ebony to help him walk toward were Hunter was sitting.

As they neared the taller boy, Roy noticed that Dahlia was still curled up in his lap under his coat. The smaller girl appeared to be in shock; simply staring at the snow, her eyes sad and glistening with tears. Hunter looked up as they approached,

"How is he?" he asked Ebony. Roy felt a surge of annoyance; he was standing right there, why hadn't Hunter addressed him?

_I probably wouldn't have answered anyway._ he thought sadly as Ebony spoke, "His arm is dislocated and I need your help me get it back in."

Hunter nodded and murmured something to Dahlia. She wordlessly slid off of his lap and he got up, draping his heavy wool coat over the tiny girls shoulders so that she was basically swimming in it.

Ebony gently sat Roy next to Dahlia and gently placed the injured arm at the proper angle. "Roy, this is going to hurt a lot, grit your teeth and we'll do it on three."

Roy nodded dully, not really listening to her. Ebony nodded to Hunter, who placed his hand against Roy's back, bracing him as Ebony prepared to set the limp back in its proper place.

"One," Ebony counted, "Two!" She gave a sharp shove and a sharp burning pain caused Roy to cry out as his arm popped back into place.

"Thank you Hunter," Ebony said softly, double checking to make sure everything was where it should be.

Hunter gave her a quizzical look, "I thought you said we'd go on three," he said, bemused.

"If we'd gone on three, he would have tensed up and it would have hurt more,"

Ebony explained, gently rotating Roy's arm.

Hunter nodded and sat back down behind Dahlia, gently pulling her back onto his lap. Roy stood on shaky legs and, after taking a moment to gather himself, slowly walked over to where Momo's body lay. Sinking to his knees in the snow next to her still form, he gently pulled the cloak from her face. Her skin was pale and there was blood staining her lips and chin, but her expression was strangely serene. One of her pale hands peeked out from under the coat and Roy reached for it, his fingers gently wrapping around hers. The intense cold of her hand pushed Roy's barely restrained emotions back over the edge and tears slid down his cheek again as sobs wracked his frame.

He hadn't known the barmaid very long, but the way she'd gone out of her way to be friendly had quickly endeared her to him and watching her die had shattered his heart into many tiny pieces. Someone approached from behind and knelt behind him. They draped his coat over his shoulders and pulled him into a backwards embrace. Roy could tell from the feel of the embrace and the gentle smell of lavender that it was Ebony.

"T-this is wrong," he stammered, the lump in his throat making it hard to speak, "I should be dead. Why couldn't she just let me die?"

Ebony gripped him tighter, "Shut up!" she whispered fiercely.

Roy half turned toward her "Ebony?..."

She let out a shuddering sigh and Roy realized he could feel the hot tears on the back of his neck where Ebony had pressed her face. "I-I'm sorry," she said, "I just can't stand to hear you talk like that. Momo made a choice; she chose to save you. I can never repay her for that and…" Her voice broke and she took a shaky breath, "And that hurts. You keep asking why and I think she knew that whatever Umber had planned, we could only face it together. She did what she thought was best for us...and the town."

Roy gently placed the cloak back over Momo's face, "She shouldn't have had to make that choice," he whispered.

Dahlia and Hunter joined them and knelt on the other side of the barmaid's body. Dahlia's sadness had morphed into rage and her hands noticeably shook as she looked down at Momo.

"Who did this?" she hissed, "They'll pay for this if it's the last thing I ever do."

Roy turned his head to scan around the ritual site until he found Umber's body lying in a heap beside the circular pit. "He's right there," he said softly, nodding toward the corpse. "The grimm killed him already."

The tension drained from Dahlia's shoulders, "Good," she sighed the rage leaving her voice.

There was a period where no one said anything. The silence of the surrounding wood was the same as ever, as if the events of the past hour hadn't even taken place. Dahlia finally spoke, asking the question that was on everyone's mind, "What are we going to do now?"

Roy shook his head, "I don't know." His team stayed silent, looking at him pleadingly. "I said I don't know! Stop looking at me like I have all the answers!"

His sorrow had turned to red hot fury and, looking for someone to take his frustration out on; he stalked over to Umber's body. With a brisk movement, he shoved the reverend's body into the pit with his foot, watching it bounce off of the sides until it finally vanished into the shadows of the pit. Roy's keen hearing caught the sickening crunch as the corpse hit the bottom, thirty or so feet below.

As he leaned to look down into the pit, his foot bumped something hitherto hidden by the reverend's body. Kneeling down, he picked the object up and brushed the snow away. It was a small, red leather-bound pocket journal, tied shut by a soft black ribbon.

Roy walked back to his team, holding the journal and was met by Ebony.

"Was that," she gestured to the pit, "Really necessary?" She was scowling and her tail was lashing from side to side, clearly peeved at Roy's actions.

Roy's brow darkened and he replied with a brisk "Yes."

Dahlia chimed in with a "Definitely." of her own.

Ebony raised her hands in defeat as Roy undid the black ribbon and cracked the journal open. Lines upon lines of looping script greeted him, each page holding a numbered and dated entry. The contents of each ranging from events and happenings in Olmsted, religious ramblings and details of the ritual that Roy had been forced into. Flipping through the pages to the date of their third day in Ulmsted, Roy began to read the entries aloud.

_Entry 79. 6/15_

_I, Father Micah Umber of the faith of our lord, have seen things that should never be seen, heard things that should never be heard and intoned things that should never be intoned. In these pages I will recount the history of our town. Ulmstead was founded many years ago at the close of the great war. For several years, peace and prosperity reigned here. Then he came, like a force of god's wrath and laid waste to the town. Our people rebuilt and the monster came once more. Over and over it happened until one day when a traveling huntsman sought to face this beast, this calamity. The calamity made short work of this fool and for five years after, neither hide nor hair was seen of the calamity. Then it returned. As fate would have it, another huntsmen came and sacrificed himself to the beast. Five more peaceful years passed. Since then it has been our way, to lure a huntsman here every five years and sacrifice them to the creature. The time has come around once more. Everyone knows what must be done, everyone is willing. Peace will come._

_As I was reading my predecessor's note I found this passage in old tongue, I daresay it reveals the where previous rituals have been performed; 'Aig maw na talmhainn, tairg suas do umhlachd crubach. fosgladh fuil an t-slighe gu eudochas'_

Roy struggled over the dialect for several seconds before handing the journal to Dahlia. The smaller girl squinted at the words and read them back flawlessly.

"If I had to guess," she said tentatively, "I would say it roughly translates to 'at the maw of the earth, offer up your trembling obedience. Blood will open the way to despair.' Ugh, I felt gross just saying it." Dahlia quickly passed the journal back to Roy who continued reading,

E_verything is proceeding exactly as planned. The children from Beacon have slain the guardian of the loch. It breaks my heart to see such a beautiful creature fall, but for the Calamity to arrive there must be no rivals…_

"Wait, wait," Ebony interrupted, "Guardian of the loch? Does he mean the feilong?"

Roy nodded, "It has to be," he said softly, "We didn't kill anything else on the loch." He turned back to the book and continued reading.

_Why I didn't think of bringing younger huntsmen before is beyond me. Such trusting foolish creatures, ever ready to prove themselves. Rainere is much less flexible and needs to be dealt with. Soon enough, soon enough. His blood will do nicely for the placating of our savior._

Roy's hand shook with anger at the Reverend's unfeeling words and the way he seemed to dismiss the idea of killing a man like it was nothing. He quickly took several calming breaths before continuing.

_Entry 80. 6/17_

_Recently, an epiphany struck me. One of my predecessors made mention of the fact that the calamity seemed very fond of slaughtering faunus. If we were to strike a deal with this grimm to wipe out all faunus in Ulmstead, there's no telling how much time we could buy. Their lives would be a small price to pay in comparison. Unfortunately, the number of faunus in our town has dwindled over the years due to a number of reasons. I've decided to take a census of all the faunus that live in the town and surrounding farms._

A list of about twenty names followed, Churi Harabel's name was crossed out in red. He and Ebony's names had been added at the bottom of the list in the same crimson ink. Roy's eyes swept over the list and then on to the next paragraph.

_I have thought many times about the task the Calamity will carry out once he is here. As always, my thoughts are with this beautiful world, burdened as it is under the blight of those abominations, those depraved imposters. Insisting so strongly that they, like us are beings to be considered equal. The very idea._

"Who does he mean?" Hunter asked.

Roy scowled, his anger finally getting the better of him as he shoved the journal at Ebony. "He means us." he said, gesturing between Ebony and himself.

"Faunus," she clarified before picking up were Roy left off.

_I only pray to the lord of darkness that this calamity would completely wipe their putrid filth from Remnant._

Dahlia growled, a low guttural sound of disgust, "What an awful thing to say."

Roy shot a glance at the pit, as if expecting the Reverend to crawl out any second. "His plan would never have worked," he said, "The Calamity is no 'cleansing force.' It's a grimm, pure and simple. It only knows how to destroy and kill, it doesn't pick and choose."

Roy eyed the two corpses of Umber's followers and gave a brisk nod, "Guess they found out the hard way."

Ebony turned the page to find a hastily drawn illustration of the Calamity along with a scribbled entry.

_Entry 81. 4/19_

_I have seen it! Our saving grace, our calamity. It was magnificent, the way he disposed of Rainere with such ease was reminiscent of a symphony, practically shrugging off any attack he threw at it. Alas, no sooner had he dealt with the huntsman, he was gone like a dream. I have read the stories of my predecessors and they have revealed that the Calamity may be resummoned before the five year period has ended. All that's needed is the blood of a faunus. In hindsight, using Churi Harabel's blood would have been the simpler solution. But I had a different purpose for her. No, I believe a fresher offering would be superior._

Roy clenched his fists; his anger fueling the cogs in a brain as a plan quickly took form. Taking the journal from Ebony, he closed it with a sharp snap. "I know what we're going to do now."

Ebony blinked, "You do? That was quick."

Roy tucked the journal into his coat pocket and turned to face his teammates, "We're going back to Ulmsted, We're destroying the jammer, and we're going to call for backup. We'll save this town, whether they want to be saved or not."

Roy felt a flame spring to life in his heart as he made the declaration. It was not the hot flame of rage, rather a warm surging fire of determination. Looking around at the face of his teammates, he could see the same fire mirrored in their eyes. Turning, Roy bent down and gently picked up Momo, treating her body as though she were as fragile as glass. Despite being covered in her heavy winter cloak, the barmaid weighed very little and her tail brushed against his legs as he walked away from the ritual site. Ebony, Hunter and Dahlia followed after, Ebony pausing to grab Black Orchid and the wavy edged dagger from where they lay.

"Why are you bringing that?" Dahlia said, motioning at the dagger, still wet with Momo's blood.

"Proof," Ebony replied shortly, "We'll need to convince the townspeople that we're on their side and it'll be hard enough as it is."

Dahlia nodded and fell silent as Team SHDE walked into the trees, finally leaving the ritual site behind. As he walked, Roy squeezed Momo's body tighter to his own.

Thank you for my life, he silently thanked the barmaid, I'll do whatever I have to do to save your home, I swear.

There was no boat at the edge of the loch when they finally stepped out onto the beach. The myriad of messy footprints and the shallow furrow in the sand told Roy that there had been a boat earlier, but the final two members of Umber's group had taken it in their desperate bid to flee from the monster they'd summoned. Looking out over the loch, Roy could see a thick column of smoke rising from the center of Ulmsted, appearing quite black against midnight blue of the sky. Roy set his teeth and hefted Momo's body to get a better grip. He ignored the burning in his arms and started to walk along the edge of the loch, beginning the long trek toward the town.

"Do… Do you want me to carry her?" Roy heard Hunter ask.

He shook his head, gripping Momo's body tighter, "No, I'll do it."

The walk around the loch was strangely uneventful. It was as if all grimm had vanished from the area with the creature's appearance, leaving them to walk along unhindered. They finally reached the edge of the town and walked down the street toward the Naked Nevermore. The streets were empty, which wasn't surprising as it was almost 1:00 in the morning.

From where they were, the team could see the church towering over the surrounding buildings. A part of the roof had fallen in and smoke was billowing from the newly created opening. The tavern finally came into view and Roy could see that it was packed, people standing or sitting wherever they could fit. His ears swiveled toward the door and he picked up the sound of angry and fearful voices coming from inside.

Roy shot a quick glance at his team before stepping through the door which had been propped open. As he entered the view of everyone inside, the voices fell silent and countless eyes followed him as he pushed his way through the throng. He gently set Momo's body on the table near the center of the room.

"Why is there a grimm in our church!?" a voice yelled from the back corner.

"Did you unleash it on us!?" another yelled from somewhere near the fireplace.

"Where's Father Umber? He'll know what to do!"

A chorus of agreement echoed around the room. Roy tensed, the last declaration regarding Umber having pushed his rage once more to the forefront of his mind.

He gripped the cloak and threw it off of Momo's body, revealing it to the entire room. Everyone went dead silent, then an angry wave of sound traveled around the room. People gagging at the sight, people swearing in surprise and backing away from the table.

Finally, one cry echoed over the general hubbub; "Murderer!"

The throng turned toward him, hatred and malice in their expressions. Roy felt Ebony press the dagger into his hand and he swung it up, gleaming in the firelight. The crowd froze as he brought it down, point first into the table next to Momo's body.

"I didn't kill her!" he shouted to be heard by those sitting in the back of the room, "and I did not bring the grimm here. Umber did!"

"Liar!" several people yelled out.

"I'm not lying!" Roy defiantly shouted back, "I was there, I saw Umber slaughter her to summon the grimm in your church!"

His ears drooped, "I was supposed to die, but she took my place. I can never repay her for that…" His ears sprang back to attention, "But I will do what I can to save your town."

A grumble of dissent rumbled through the room and a voice cried, "We don't want you here!"

Roy scanned the crowd, his hands clenched at his sides, "Maybe not, but you're stuck with me. Oh, and Umber won't be back. The grimm killed him." He withdrew Umber's journal from his coat and held it up, "This!" he shouted over the commotion caused by the announcement of Umber's death, "Is Father Umber's journal. It contains proof of a plot to summon the grimm and let it loose in Ulmstead. I need a volunteer to come up and read the entries from the past few weeks."

A hand went up at the back of the room and an elderly man stepped forward. "I'll do it," he said, his deep voice cutting through the surrounding hubbub and Roy recognized him as one of the council members from Corvatts's trial.

Hesitantly, he handed the journal to the man, who slipped on a pair of brass spectacles and cracked the journal open. "That's Umber's handwriting, no mistake," He said before clearing his throat and beginning to read the entries aloud.

The crowd fell silent as the passages were read. When the man reached the point where Umber revealed the true reason the Harabels had died, a loud outcry bubbled forth and several people walked out; unable to listen anymore. The councilman continued to read until he finished the final entry. Everyone was quiet, not having made a sound since the initial outcry. The councilman handed the journal back to Roy and slipped back into the crowd.

Roy held the book up, gazing around the room, "You have heard the truth from Umber himself. What you do with the knowledge is up to you. Whether you agree with Umber or not, the fact still remains. This grimm will not stop until it has eradicate everyone in Ulmsted; Faunus and humans. But I promise that me and my team will stop at nothing to beat this thing."

Something suddenly collided with the side of Roy's head, causing him to stagger sideways as something dripped down his face. He tasted the tangy flavor of vinaigrette and realized someone had thrown a wooden bowl of salad dressing at him. "Do you want us to be grateful?!" someone else shouted and this time, Roy caught sight of the person. It was the vocally anti-faunus youth from when they'd first arrived.

Roy swept his soggy bangs out of his face and fixed the room with an icy glare, "I don't want your gratitude," he spat, "If you want someone to be grateful to, then be grateful to her." He gestured to Momo's still form, "She gave her life to save your best chance of survival."

He leaned over and gently replaced the cloak over Momo's face. "You don't have to like me or respect me," he said, "But you do have to tolerate me." With that, he gestured for his team to follow him and turned toward the stairs.

The crowd parted before them as his team fell in step behind him and together they ascended the steps to the second floor.

"I think we should all stay in me and Ebony's room tonight," he said as they climbed, "Safer that way."

A quiet murmur from his team relayed their agreement and he continued onwards. They all made their way to Roy and Ebony's room, pausing at Hunter and Dahlia's room so they could grab their belongings. As Roy opened the door to his room there came a frantic pounding of feet. Sadie thudded into him, wrapping her small arms around him and squeezing him tightly. She buried her face in his coat, which Roy suddenly realized had dried blood on it.

He gently held her at arm's length and gently pushed her bangs out of her face, allowing her vibrant blue eyes to shine out brightly, "Hey Sadie, did you miss us?"

The girl nodded and clutched him tighter. Lifting her up, Roy sat Sadie on his bed after shedding his blood stained gloves and coat. Ebony passed Roy a moist towel and sat next to Sadie, gently rubbing her back,

"What's our next move Roy?" she asked.

Roy wiped off as much of the salad dressing and blood as he could, pacing as he thought. "The grimm is in the church, which definitely complicates things. I'm more than 95% certain that the communications jammer is in the bell tower. So one of us will have to get up there and destroy it."

Hunter raised his hand, "I'm a hard hitter, not a fast climber," he said.

Dahlia nodded in agreement, "I'm afraid of heights, plus I'd rather just stay with Hunter if that's okay."

Roy shrugged, "I have no problems with that."

Turning to Ebony, he found her holding her hand out in front of her. "Rock, Paper, Scissors for the climbing," she said pointedly.

Roy blinked, "You really don't want to, do you?"

Ebony shook her head, allowing a small smile to play across her features. "We're both cat faunus, we both are equally adept at climbing. We might as well leave it to chance."

Roy offered a sad smile back and held his hand out, "Okay, 1. 2. 3. Go!"

Roy played rock,

Ebony played scissors.

"Looks like I'll be climbing then," he said.

Ebony looked crestfallen, "I thought I had you! You almost always go paper."

Roy patted her arm, "Almost always Eb, not this time."

Ebony made a show of pouting as she gently toyed with one of Sadie's hands. Her brow furrowed as she inspected one of her tiny fingers.

"Roy, come and look at this," she said, beckoning him over.

Roy leaned over to see what was troubling his teammate. Sadie's fingernails, rather than the dainty pink of a child, were a dark grey.

"What's wrong with her fingernails?" Ebony asked, concern written all over her face.

Roy gently took Sadie's hand and held it up to inspect it. He gently pressed the pad of Sadie's pointer finger and watched as her nail lengthen ever so slightly then retract as he released. A smile slowly stretched itself across his face.

"What is it?" Ebony asked, "Roy?"

The smile deepened as Roy inspected Sadie's other fingers and Ebony smacked his arm, "Stop grinning like an idiot and tell me!"

Roy, still grinning, leaned over and whispered something into Ebony's ear. Her tail, which had been lying still up until then, started to wave slowly from side to side as her eyes widened and her face split into a grin.

"No! Really?" she gasped, holding up Sadie's hand to better scrutinize it.

Dahlia marched over, "What? What did he say?" she asked.

Ebony gently showed her teammate the tiny girl's hands and quietly whispered, "This kitten's got claws."

Dahlia's jaw dropped, "What? Sadie's a faunus?"

Roy nodded, "Yep, she'll have a handsome set of claws by the time she turns ten."

His joy at the revelation quickly turned to sadness. Roy couldn't stand the thought of leaving her in this hateful town, to be loathed, despised and resented for the rest of her life. Roy knew what came from that; a resentment of humans. He wouldn't let that happen.

"When we leave Ulmsted, we're taking her with us and finding her a home away from here."

Hunter gave Roy a questioning look, "Can we do that?"

Ebony nodded, "In special cases, huntsmen and huntresses can take charge of orphaned children," she explained, "Mainly to keep them out of harm's way until the next of kin can be found."

Dahlia tickled Sadie under the chin, causing the girl to squirm and smile, revealing tiny pointed fangs. "Oh she's even cuter now!" the petite huntress exclaimed.

Hunter cleared his throat, "Sorry to interrupt, but what are we going to do about the jammer?"

Roy stroked Sadie's hair distractedly, "I say we get some shut eye and then go to the church at first light."

Hunter chewed his lip thoughtfully, "Do we have time for that?"

Roy shrugged, "Honestly I don't know. But if we're exhausted tomorrow, we'll stand even less chance against that thing. Dahlia, what time is it?"

The smaller girl clicked her scroll on, "3:30."

Roy grimaced and sighed, "Okay, you three try to get some sleep. I'll wake you-"

A cool hand touched his arm and he looked over to see Ebony shaking her head,

"No," she said simply, "You need to sleep if you can, you've been through hell tonight."

Roy's ears drooped slightly and he laid his hand on Ebony's, smiling sadly. "I've found that when you go through hell, the demons tend to find you when you dream," he said softly.

"That's a little dramatic," Hunter said, but Dahlia laid her hand on his arm, "He means night terrors hun."

Roy smiled thankfully at Dahlia, she understood, so did Ebony. They had each suffered from night terrors over the course of their lives. Roy, from when he lost his eye. Dahlia, from when she'd lost her father, and Ebony, from when she'd killed Ronin.

He knew that after the events of this night it would be a long time before he would sleep soundly again. He'd been trying to keep his mind busy since they'd returned to Ulmsted because he knew the moment he relaxed, it would all come flooding back; the sights, the sounds, the blood…

"Roy."

He looked over at Ebony, she was looking at him with a slightly pained expression.

"You're squeezing too tightly," she murmured to him, nodding at their hands. Roy's fingers had inadvertently clasped around hers and were currently gripping them furiously in a white knuckled grip.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, quickly releasing her, "I'm sorry."

Ebony patted his arm, "It's okay, we'll get some sleep."

Roy nodded, "Thank you."

A few minutes later, the three of Roy's teammates were passed out. Ebony and Sadie were sleeping in Roy's bed; the latter curled up with Ebony's tail grasped lightly in her hands. Hunter and Dahlia were ensconced in Ebony's bed; the two of them snuggled together like bears in winter.

Roy sat in a chair in front of the long window, gazing out at the street below. Black Orchid lay across his knees and an oil rag was clutched in one of his hands. He'd been polishing the blade to keep his mind occupied and now the metal gleamed in the light of the single candle perched on the windowsill.

Since they'd arrived back in the town, clouds had rolled in from the north. These clouds, unlike the fluffy snow clouds from earlier, were the foreboding, shadowy gray of a northern rainstorm which promised cold rain and thunder.

Sure enough, a quiet rumble reached Roy's keen ears and he flicked them in annoyance. The morning promised to be a wet and gloomy one. Suddenly a shrieking cry split the air and Roy curled forward, gripping his head as blood dripped from his eyes.

Sadie cried out, her frightened voice sending a pain through Roy's heart. Ebony came awake gripping Sadie to herself and trying her best to dash the blood from the small girl's eyes while blinking it out of her own.

Roy staggered to his feet and raced for the door, throwing it open as he reached it. Several people had exited their rooms and stood along the hall murmuring to each other.

Roy shot a glance back into the room to make sure his team was almost ready then hurried down the hall toward the stairs. He took the stairs in a leap and dashed through the dining room, flying through the door into the street.

He looked toward the church just in time to see the twisted form of the calamity disappearing through the broken hole in the roof.

**Looks like Team SHDE is going to have a fight on their hands. I hope you're all ready to rumble.**

**This was a very hard chapter to write. I had to figure out how each of the team members ****would deal with grief.**

**Roy is always very emotional, not afraid to show his feelings.  
Ebony is the comforter, ready to be there for him.  
Dahlia lets her rage get the better of her sometimes and Hunter is there to calm her down.  
I always say when writing something like this, always read into your character's mental states. It will help their characters have depth.**

**Anyway, writing lesson over. I hope you're enjoying the story!**

**Until next we meet,**

**-Ar3mRising. **


	16. Chapter 15: A Walk Through The Valley

Roy stepped back inside the tavern to find his team waiting for him.

"It is in the church," he growled, gripping Black Orchid's handle tightly.

"What's our plan?" Ebony asked.

Roy chewed his lip, the cogs in his brain working double time to formulate a plan, "You three will play interference and distract the grimm while I climb up the bell tower and find the jammer."

Dahlia fiddled with Tragodia's handle, "Do you know how to get into the bell tower? I don't like the idea of fighting that thing in close quarters for too long."

Roy shook his head, "No I-"

"The entrance to the bell tower is behind the altar to the left, you'll have to climb some stairs, walk across a large beam to the tower entrance then climb a ladder to get up to the top."

Team SHDE turned to see the black haired, anti-faunus youth from earlier sitting in the back corner, a tankard in his hand and a scowl on his face.

"Thank you…?" Roy said hesitantly, causing the man to chuckle mirthlessly. "Don't thank me, I still hate the faunus."

Ebony's tail bristled, but she kept her voice level, "Then why help us?" she asked.

The man took a drink from the tankard, gazing over the rim at them, "I hate being dead more."

Roy sighed and turned back toward his teammates. "I won't lie to you guys, we could die. I know it's easy to think 'oh yeah? When are we not in danger with this job?' but I'm serious. This Calamity is the most powerful grimm I've ever encountered." Roy gripped Black Orchid's handle tighter, feeling the leather creaking between his fingers as he continued. "As your leader I only have one order for you."

Dahlia drew Comodia and twirled it deftly, "Don't die?" she quipped, shooting him a cocky grin.

Roy nodded grimly, "You read my mind," he said, drawing his own sword.

Weapons in hand, team SHDE exited the tavern and strode toward the church. They reached the stone building a few moments later and mounted the steps leading up to the doors. Setting his shoulder against the door, Roy shot a quick glanced to his team. They nodded and he shoved the door, letting the giant wooden door creak wide open. Team SHDE moved into the church, weapons at the ready.

Roy took the lead, the point of his sword held steadily in front of him. The doors to the sanctuary were hanging off their hinges allowing him a limited view of the room within. He caught a glimpse of a hulking figure sitting at the foot of the statue, its four arms held out at odd angles beside it. Roy motioned to his teammates, signaling that their quarry was inside. Striding to the door, he silently counted to three, wrenched the door open and launched into the room.

The Calamity spun to face them, letting out a shriek of rage and launching forward to meet them. Roy dodged sideways, feeling a breath of wind on his face as the Calamity's taloned hand missed him by inches. He heard his teammates engage the grimm behind him and it took all of his self-control not to turn back. Slipping through the door behind the large ornate organ, Roy started up the spiral staircase leading to the church's attic. A shriek and a crash from below pushed him to go faster, taking the stairs two at a time.

He stepped on the next step and it broke, collapsing under his foot and sending him sprawling headlong onto the stairs. Ignoring the pain and the sensation of something warm rolling down his leg, Roy resumed his frenzied rush up the stairs. Finally reaching the top, he looked out over the long beam stretching the length of the church before him.

He started across, his natural balance serving him well as he made his way towards the bell tower door. He was about 8 feet from it when a deafening cacophony of sound smashed into him, driving him to his knees. The organ's keys had somehow been pressed, sending a broken chord soaring up into the rafters where it bounced around and assaulted Roy's sensitive ears. Another wave of sound crashed over him and Roy pressed his forehead to the beam and let out a ragged cry; it felt like someone was driving a railroad spike into his brain. He writhed furiously, praying for the sound to stop.

The organ finally fell silent and Roy clawed his way back to his feet, staggering the rest of the way to the door and knocking it open. The ladder stretched far above him, leading to a small square opening in the floor above. He could just make out the edge of the great bronze bell through the opening along with a glimmer of pale morning light.

Shaking off the final effects of the organ, Roy placed his foot on the bottom rung and began the climb. He went as fast as he dared. The leg he'd hurt when he fell twinged painfully and the stress of the situation was making his hands damp with sweat. He finally climbed through the opening at the top and looked around. The bell hung suspended by thick bell ropes from a large beam that stretched across the interior of the tower. Large openings were placed strategically around the tower to let sunlight in and let the melodious sounds of the bell out.

The view from the top of the tower under any other circumstances would have been lovely, but the grey clouds blocked the rising sun and cast everything in a sickly gray pallor. As Roy watched, lightning flashed and illuminating the town as a loud peal of thunder rumbled over the mountains. He turned away from the view and gazed around the tower's interior and spotted a black box bolted to one of the support posts, a green light blinking steadily away on its right corner.

Striding over to it, Roy raised Black Orchid and smashed its pommel into the device. The box shattered, sending shards of plastic and circuitry flying every which way. Whipping out his scroll, Roy felt the device buzz as it's signal returned and quickly opened the emergency distress call application. An option came up, asking him to input the reason for the distress call.

He selected the 'Anomalous grimm' option and hit send. The screen went black and a red light started to blink as the scroll locked the application, baring anyone from turning the beacon off. As Roy went to put the scroll away, it buzzed in his hand causing him to jump. Sliding it open he answered the call.

"Roy!" Ebony's voice cried out from the device, "The grimm heard you cry out and it's coming after you!"

The door beneath him suddenly splintered open with a crash. Looking through the opening, Roy saw the Calamity stalk into room and inspect the ladder. It's head twisted, allowing one of its glowing red eyes to stare up at him. Thinking quickly, Roy raised Black Orchid and hacked into the bell rope, the thick strands taking three swipes before they parted. The bell seemed to hang in space for a split second before it plummeted down, smashing a massive hole in the wooden platform where Roy stood. It narrowly missed the ladder and smashed into the floor, breaking through and smashing into the marble flagstones of the entryway below with a massive *BOOOONGGG* A great cloud of dust billowed up, obscuring Roy's view. He strained his ears, listening and hoping the bell had done the job.

He shuddered as a long drawn out shriek tore into his sensitive ears, causing more bloody tears to spring to his eyes. He watched as the creature emerged from the dust, clutching the mangled stump of one of its arms and limping quickly into the street. Roy cursed at the near miss and slid down the ladder as quick as he could.

He sprinted across the beam to the stairs then ascended to the sanctuary. The statue was still standing, but all of the beautiful red wood pews had been smashed to matchsticks. Glancing around the wreckage, Roy caught sight of his teammates huddled against the wall. He rushed over to them, fearing the worst. Hunter was propped up against the wall, pressing a rag to the back of his head. The rag was already stained with blood and Hunter's face was paler than usual.

"What happened?" Roy asked.

Ebony shook her head, her face just as pale as Hunter's, "I've never seen anything like it." she said breathlessly, "It shattered his aura in one hit."

Dahlia gripped Hunter's hand furiously, looking as though she wanted to murder every single grimm in Remnant.

Roy straightened up and winced as the pain in his shin finally made itself know. A gasp of pain forced itself through his teeth and Ebony's sharp eyes noticed the blood stain on his grey jeans just below his knee.

"Roy, roll up your pant leg." she ordered.

Roy obeyed, revealing the wound and wincing as he saw that the fall had carved a ragged divot in his shin; a glint of the white bone showing through.

Dahlia gasped and looked away while Ebony tutted. She hovered one hand over her heart and the other over his wound, channeling her aura into Roy's to heal the wound quickly. Roy let out a sigh as he felt the pain lessening as the skin knit itself back together.

"Wait...Where's the grimm?" Dahlia asked.

Roy opened his mouth to answer when a human scream echoed through the church. Roy spun on his heel and sprinted through the church, dodging around the fallen bell to exit through the main door. He saw a woman crawling backwards away from the calamity as it stalked closer, regarding her with its piercing orange eyes and clicking its beak menacingly. It raised its massive fist to deal her a fatal blow, but Roy sprinted across the square and threw himself between the two.

The calamity's hand crashed down onto his block, driving him to his knees and pushing his aura to the brink of breaking.

"Run!" Roy half shouted, half snarled at the woman, "Now!"

She leapt up and scurried away between the buildings. Roy suddenly felt the calamity grab his leg and the sky traded places with the ground as it flung him bodily back towards the church. He bounced roughly across the snowy flagstones and felt his aura shatter as his head impacted one of the church steps. His team rushed to his side as he scrambled up, drawing Black Orchid with the ringing of steel as the calamity shrieked defiantly at the sky.

"W-What do we do now?" Ebony asked, wiping her bloody eyes on the back of her sleeve.

Roy dashed his own arm across his eyes, "We need to get it away from the town!" he cried and charged forward without warning, raising Black Orchid to strike.

The calamity lunged forward to meet the charging faunus, its arm extended and claws bared. He dodged under the blow and slashed his sword across the thing's leg, cutting deeply into the calf muscle. The Calamity shrieked in pain and rage, wheeling about to stalk after Roy as he looped around back toward his team.

"Run!" he shouted, "Lead it to the other side of the loch!"

Team SHDE turned and sprinted away, the buildings of Ulmsted passing by in a blur as they ran for their lives. Roy laid his ears flat along his skull to avoid the wind rushing into them and shot a glance behind to see the Calamity slowly but surely gaining ground on them, its clawed feet pounding the cobblestones as it charged headlong at them.

Hunter caught up with Roy, Dahlia perched on his shoulders. "What are we going to do when we get to the other side?" he yelled into the wind.

"We have to trap its arms somehow!" Roy yelled back, "Then we might have a chance!"

They'd left Ulmsted behind and were now dodging between the trees along the left side of the lake. Roy shot another glance behind and his heart almost stopped as he realized the grimm wasn't behind them, "Where's-?"

A cry of alarm from Ebony cut him off as the grimm seemed to materialize from their right and smashed into the four of them, sending them tumbling into the snow. Roy leapt up, Black Orchid at the ready,

"Attack it now!" he yelled.

In unison, Team SHDE leapt forward to engage the Calamity. Roy reached it a hair faster and swung Black Orchid at the beast's stomach. It blocked the blow with one of its armored plated fists, retaliating with a savage peck of its beak. Roy backpedaled, batting at the beak with his sword, feeling the shock reverberate up his arm as the blade clashed against the hard bony plate.

Ebony and Dahlia charged in next, the taller girl sending a barrage of ice dust into the beast's face, Dahlia followed this up by hamstringing the grimm with Comodia. The Calamity shrieked in pain and lashed out with its arms, connecting with Dahlia and sending her flying. A sharp crystalline sound broke the air as Dahlia's aura broke and everyone froze for a split second. Well, everyone but Hunter, who leapt forward and caught his girlfriend by the arm and swung her back around; flinging her towards the grimm.

Dahlia landed on the Calamity's back, sinking both of her weapons deep into its back. The grimm didn't struggle this time, simply tolerating the huntress on its back as Hunter dashed in. The large boy swung Venus up and across its torso as Roy dashed back in, twirling Black Orchid before stabbing it in the same leg Dahlia had slashed.

The Calamity fell heavily to one knee, using two of its arms to keep itself up. "Now!" Roy shouted. Dahlia leapt from the Calamity's back and slammed both of her weapons through the grimm's hand, pinning it to the ground. Quick as lightning Hunter drove Venus into its other hand and pinned it as well. The grimm shrieked, throwing its head back as it strained against the weapons restraining its hands.

It desperately swung its mangled arm at Dahlia, but she leapt up and grabbed the arm; using her own body weight to keep it in check. Ebony twirled Archimedes and froze the Calamity's final arm to the ground with a blast of ice dust. Roy turned to face the grimm's scrawny back, his sword glowing red as he channeled fire dust into the blade. He reversed his grip on the sword and raised it above his head, preparing to bring the blade driving through the creature's back.

As his eyes focused on his target, he noticed small white points emerging from the Calamity's flesh. Before he could fully figure out what they were, the grimm flexed its back and sent five inch long spikes shooting from its back in a wave. Roy's arms were still raised as the wave of spikes reached him and he felt one pierce his lower abdomen, sending hot blood oozing down his stomach.

He heard Dahlia cry out and looked up to see her struggling with the grimm's arm, one of the spikes buried in her shoulder. With a brisk movement, the Calamity whipped its arm from her grip and smashed it into her face. The blow sent her hurtling backwards, skidding across the snow until she came to stop under one of the trees. Hunter let out a roar and brought his elbow swinging down on the arm he had pinned, throwing all of his weight into the blow.

The arm broke with a snap, but the grimm ignored it and struck him across the chest with its free hand; batting him backwards like a toy. Ebony made a desperate dive for the free arm and managed to pin it, just before Dahlia's weapons came free from the ground. Comodia and Tragodia skittered across the snow and the Calamity freed its arm, violently striking Ebony in the stomach. Roy winced at the crystalline sound her aura made as it shattered, watching Ebony fly across the clearing until her momentum was arrested by a large tree. His stomach twisted as he heard a number of cracks emanated from his teammates body as she slumped down onto the snow.

Roy clutched his side, feeling the blood soak into his shirt and cotton gloves. He wanted to move, he wanted to rush to the aid of his teammates, but the spike protruding from his abdomen sent waves of pain lancing through him with every movement. The Calamity finally yanked the ice-bound hand free of the ground and used it to rip Hunter's weapon from its other hand. The blade was covered with a black ooze and it raised the weapon to its beak, which opened, allowing a slimy purple tongue to snack out and lap at the ooze. The beast's head snapped sideways, fixing its gaze on Hunter who had just staggered to his feet. The Calamity turned and began stalking toward the larger boy, still clutching Venus. Hunter tried to run, but it was clear that the pain was proving to be too much and he fell to one knee as the grimm drew closer.

"HUNTER!" A pained shriek cut through the air and Roy saw Dahlia standing with her hand outstretched towards her boyfriend.

The panicked, horror filled expression on her face betrayed what Roy knew; none of them could reach Hunter in time.

"No you don't!" he heard Ebony yell from beside him and a second later, a huge stream of fire crossed the distance in an instant. The flammable dust clung to the grimm's flesh, searing it and causing it to blister horribly. The Calamity shrieked in pain and changed direction, turning its attention to Ebony. It threw Venus to the snow, its broken arm snapping back into place as it raised it to deal a devastating blow to the faunus.

Roy grit his teeth against the waves of pain and threw himself in the grimm's path. The Calamity's eyes flashed and it swung its arm out at Roy. Setting his feet, he caught the grimm's fist and strained to hold it back. His feet slid backwards in the snow as the pain in his side peaked, causing a guttural cry to tear itself from his throat.

All the while, the grimm simply observed him; as if taking interest in his struggle. It suddenly seized him with its lower two arms, lifting him off the ground. The Calamity began to steadily tightened its grasp, slowly squeezing the faunus tighter and tighter.

Roy felt a rib break just before he was slammed into down into the frozen earth. As the ground collided with his body, he felt three more ribs fracture from the impact. His sides were on fire and his breath came in ragged sobs as he writhed in the snow.

Ebony dragged herself to her feet, standing between him and the grimm. "Get away from us!" She shrieked, twirling her weapon.

The Calamity caught Archimedes with one hand and lifted her off the ground; Ebony stubbornly refusing to release the weapon. The beast swung its fist into her leg and Roy heard a snap as the bone broke. Ebony cried out as the beast dropped her beside him and clutched her leg as tears streamed from her eyes. Roy grimaced as he saw a white shard of bone sticking through Ebony's skin.

The Calamity towered over both of them, its eyes glinting a sickly orange as it raised its arms, all four of them, to crush the faunus under its fists.

"Hey!" Hunter yelled, trying to get the Calamity's attention with a snowball to the back. Without looking at him, the grimm sent another wave of spikes smashing into the larger boy, three of the spikes piercing his torso.

Hunter coughed, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth as he slid to the ground. A cry of fury echoed through the woods and Tragodia smashed into the grimm's burned back, followed by its owner.

Dahlia's face was terrifying, her cheek was a mass of blotchy, purple bruises and her expression was one of pure rage. She wrenched the spike from her shoulder and stabbed it deep into the Calamity's neck. The grimm twisted and tore the Huntress from its back and heaved her into the woods, the force of the throw causing her to fly out of sight.

The grimm charged after her with a shriek, leaving the three downed Huntsmen behind.

**To date, this is the longest, most complicated fight I've written. I will tell you that writing for 4 people fighting the same enemy ****simultaneously**** is tricky as all get-out. Sorry/not sorry for the cliffhanger XD.**

**Until we next meet,**

**-Ar3mRising. **


	17. Chapter 16: I Will Fear No Evil

Despite the pain he was in, Roy dragged himself to one knee and pulled his scroll from his pocket. The scroll let out a quiet beep, signaling that the beacon was still active and Roy dropped it beside Ebony. Lurching to his feet, he staggered as his side burned horribly and the stream of blood from the wound surged slightly as his shift in position put more pressure on it. He started to limp away, intent on catching up with Dahlia and the Calamity.

He felt Ebony grab his pant leg in a feeble attempt to keep him from leaving. "Please, D-Don't go," she whimpered, tears still wet on her cheeks, "You'll die."

Roy painfully bent down and gently removed Ebony's hand from his pant leg, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Maybe," he murmured, "But I can't just leave Dahlia alone."

Ebony looked helplessly at him, her mouth struggling to form words, "I… I…"

Roy gently touched Ebony's cheek, "I love you too," He whispered.

Roy straightened up and limped as quickly as he could after the grimm. One hand clutched Black Orchid and the other clamped over his side, trying to stem the flow of blood that still trickled freely between his fingers. He suddenly broke through the trees into another clearing and saw the grimm. Roy pushed his broken body to go faster as he saw that the Calamity had Dahlia suspended in the air by one arm as she swung tragodia, desperately trying to keep it at bay.

"Hey!" Roy roared, drawing the grimm's attention as it turned to face him.

"Let her go!" Roy ordered, leveling his sword's point at the beast. Lightning flashed as the Calamity twisted its head to get a better view of the faunus.

"Now!" He growled.

The grimm gave a shriek, twisting its hand and breaking Dahlia's arm with a snap. It dropped her to the snow as she cried out and charged Roy, its four arms held in the air.

Roy twirled Black Orchid and met the grimm head on, dodging under its first barrage of blows. He pulled off a complicated series of feints and twirls, finally bringing his blade down on the Calamity's lower left arm. He felt a thrill as the sword bit into the flesh, cleaving through the limb and sending the hand tumbling to the turf with a thump.

The grimm shrieked in pain and backhanded Roy, sending him bouncing across the snow once more. He landed on his feet, ignoring the excruciating screams of protest from his wounds as he resumed his fighting stance. The Calamity kept its distance, nursing the stump of its arm and clawing the ground with its talons. Roy quickly drew dust cartridges from his belt, sliding them into the chamber with trembling hands. Once his weapon was reloaded, he slid the cylinder back into its housing with a satisfying click. As if on cue the grimm charged him again, it's arms swinging wildly.

He parried the blows desperately, giving ground furiously to try and keep the Calamity at a distance. He stabbed forward and speared the grimm through its hand. Quick as lightning, it snapped its hand shut on the blade before Roy could withdraw it and pulled the huntsman forward. The beast lunged forward, biting deeply into Roy's shoulder with its wickedly sharp beak. Roy cried out and pulled Black Orchid's trigger, sending electricity arcing through the Calamity's hand.

It threw him away like a dirty rag, his blade sliding free of the beast's hand. He landed on his feet again, but this time his legs failed him and he tumbled backwards into the snow. Somehow, he dragged himself to one knee as his vision grew fuzzy and his adrenaline started to wane.

"You taste of fear," a croaking voice spoke, causing Roy's head to snap up; the Calamity had just spoken.

Maybe it was the pain interfering with his brain, or maybe it was the fact he'd seen such insane things these past few weeks, but when the grimm spoke, all Roy could do was answer back. "I wouldn't know what that tastes like," he gritted out, clutching the gaping cuts on his shoulder.

The Calamity's beak opened and its tongue snaked out, lapping at where Roy's blood stained it.

"You must have some idea," it spoke again, clacking horribly on certain syllables; the grimm having trouble forming them with its beak. Roy stood shakily, fighting the waves of nausea that washed over him. He could smell the grimm from where he stood, it was the smell of death, of rotting flesh and of decay.

Roy slowly leveled Black Orchid at the grimm once more. "Why don't you enlighten me?" he asked coolly.

"Fear tastes of blood," The Calamity began, "of frantic heart beats, of tears, of regrets and hopes dashed."

A horrible noise bubbled up from the creature's throat and Roy realized it was laughing. The beast lowered its head and raised its two uninjured arms. "Shall we end this?"

it croaked. Roy nodded and the two opponents charged each other one final time. The beast feinted with its arms, going for an overhead swing with one arm before quickly swinging its other arm in from the side. Roy dropped to the ground, allowing the talons to whoosh over his head. His adrenaline was back up, dampening his pain as he rolled to the side and avoided one of the beast's feet as it slammed down beside his head.

He leapt up and deflected another blow, gripping his sword with both hands. They went at it hammer and tongs for what seemed like hours. For every blow Roy blocked, two made it through. One finally put him on his back in the snow, his vision swimming as he struggled to get up. The Calamity's foot came down and pinned his sword arm to the ground. Roy desperately tried to free his arm, beating at the taloned foot with his fist. The grimm observed him passively, leaning down until its beak was inches from his ear so he could hear it over the rumbling thunder.

"Another hero falls…" it whispered, "tell me...will they mourn you, faunus?"

It raised its hand to cave the faunus's skull in and Roy glared back at his foe, his blue eye meeting its glaring orange eye. There came the sound of metal cleaving flesh and the Calamity stumbled backwards, freeing Roy's arm. It turned to find Dahlia, who had just sunk Tragodia up to its hilt into the thing's thigh.

"We would mourn him," she gasped, "But no one will miss you!"

The Calamity belted her across the chest, sending her flying back into the woods. Roy leapt up, his sword glowing orange as he held down the trigger on Black Orchid and sent fire dust pouring into the blade. His hand blistered as the heat finally ate away the insulation in the cartridge chamber, causing the metal to heat up. Roy lunged forward with a fierce cry and plunged his glowing sword into the grimm's chest.

The Calamity shrieked and tried to pull away but Roy pressed after it, shoving the blade deeper and deeper. The grimm brought one of its massive fists slamming into Roy's head, once, twice, three times in a desperate bid to free itself from the still glowing blade.

The faunus doggedly hung on as long as he could, right up until the fourth blow slammed into his cheek and he felt it fracture. Finally, he allowed Black Orchid's hilt to slip from his grasp as he slid down onto the snow. The energy drained from his limbs, only to be replaced by a horrible burning pain. All he could do was watch as the Calamity gripped his weapon and wrench it from its chest, black ooze trailing from the wound.

It advanced on Roy, pinning him to the ground with its taloned foot. Roy clutched feebly at the Calamity's foot, but he didn't have the strength to resist anymore. The grimm raised the sword higher, preparing to snuff out Roy's life with one final strike.

Suddenly the grimm jerked and a spear like object emerged from its mouth, having punched through the beast's head from behind. It choked and made a horrible gagging sound as it slid to its knees, dropping Roy's sword. Roy vaguely saw figures hurrying toward the two of them from across the clearing and dragged himself onto all fours, blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

The smell of the black liquid that oozed from the creature's wound turned Roy's stomach and he vomited into the snow. He crawled away from the creature, trying to put some distance between himself and the creature. Some lingering strength pushed him back to his feet as he staggered toward where Dahlia had been thrown.

He only managed four steps before his strength gave out, finally succumbing to the blood loss and pain as he dropped heavily to his knees. Slowly, his body tipped backwards until he was flat on his back in the churned up snow. From where he lay, Roy could look up and see the sky. The dark clouds had lightened slightly as they'd fought and now, a gentle rain began to fall.

Roy felt the cool rain on his skin, the only comforting sensation besides the cold of the snow at his back and sighed. His eyes drifted closed, plunging the world into darkness as the cold comforting hands of unconsciousness claimed him as their own.

**The battle is finally over, now the fight for survival begins.  
****But who saved them? all will be revealed, next chapter.**

**Until next we meet,**

**-Ar3mRising. **


	18. Chapter 17: For Thou Art With Me

Glynda Goodwitch was not having the best morning. She still had finals to grade and Bartholomew had just spilled coffee outside of her office door. He hadn't simply spilled it; oh no, that would've been far too convenient for her. Instead, the coffee had flown everywhere in a spectacular way Oobleck had been unable to fully explain. Something about nearly dropping his copy of 'Remnant: A History'

Glynda's eye twitched in annoyance as she remembered the dark brown liquid staining her handsome silver nameplate. She'd ordered Oobleck to clean up the mess before retreating back into her office, shutting the door firmly behind her and taking several calming breaths. Her scroll buzzed suddenly, jarring her out of her semi calmed state. Her eye twitched again, _Who could that be?_ She slid the device from her pocket and answered it, her reply brisk and to-the-point, "Yes?"

"Glynda, come to my office as soon as you can please." The anxious tone of Ozpin's voice drove her annoyance out of her mind and she began walking towards the door,

"I'll be right there," she replied, grasping the knob and giving it a brisk twist.

Swinging the door open, she stepped around Oobleck's coffee puddle and walked to the elevator that led to the headmaster's office. Pressing the up button, Glynda stood back and straightening her spectacles as she waited for the elevator. A chime signaled its arrival as the doors slid open, allowing her to step inside. Glynda held her scroll up to the console, allowing the elevator to confirm her identity before taking her up to Ozpin's office.

The doors slid open once more to reveal Ozpin standing in front of his desk, his hands planted firmly on either side of the holoprojector.

"You called," she said, announcing her presence to him.

Ozpin didn't turn around as he addressed her, "We've received a distress call from Ulmsted."

Glynda hid her annoyance at not being talked to directly as she walked forward, "What does Rainere say this time?"

Ozpin called up the holographic display, allowing Glynda to see who had sent the distress call. Her eyes narrowed as she saw, not the grizzled face of David Rainere, but the shaggy haired, cat eared visage of Shiroi Arashi.

"Team SHDE sent the distress call?" she asked, casting a sidelong glance at the headmaster.

Ozpin nodded, "You are aware the regulations regarding distress calls on junior away missions?" he asked.

Glynda give a brisk nod of her head, "In the event that a distress call is deemed necessary, only the senior huntsman/huntress is allowed to send one unless extenuating circumstances make that impossible."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, "That was almost word for word."

Glynda allowed a small smile to play over her lips, "As deputy headmistress, I thought it wise to acquaint myself with all of our regulations."

Ozpin rubbed his chin, scanning Roy's portrait thoughtfully, "The question is, what 'extenuating circumstances' has Davy gotten himself into?"

Reaching over, Ozpin swiped upwards on the display. Roy's face was replaced by the details of the distress call.

Call sent: 4:30 AM.  
Call received: 5:30 AM.  
Call sender: Shiroi Arashi  
Reason for call: Grimm Anomaly

Glynda raised an eyebrow at the last entry, "Ozpin, what sort of anomalous grimm appear around that area?"

The headmaster's brow furrowed as he thought, "The only one I can think of is…"

He trailed off and his face went pale. He swept his scroll off of the desk and dialed, holding it up as it began to ring.

"What is it?" Glynda asked, "What grimm is it?"

Ozpin finally looked at her, whispering one word, "Nirasha."

Glynda's blood ran cold; she'd encountered a nirasha before. Several years back, a student team out on a routine grimm patrol had gone missing somewhere in lower Solitas. When they'd finally found them, it looked like the aftermath of an explosion. Blood and flesh strewn all over the area, the nirasha standing in the midst of all of it.

Glynda's lips became a thin line as she remembered how hard it had been to take the creature down. It had just kept getting up again and again and again… She shook her head to clear her mind, returning her attention to Ozpin.

"I'm going with the extraction team," she said, the tone of her voice shutting any arguments down immediately.

Ozpin gave her a quick nod before his call was answered. "Hello? Yes, this is Professor Ozpin, I need an airship ready to fly as soon as possible…"

-:-

45 minutes later, Glynda watched the town of Ulmsted come into view through the morning mists. It was a cloudy miserable morning and the chilly air that rushed past the transport nipped at Glynda's nose, turning it a slightly pinker hue. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as she gazed around at the other teachers who made up the rest of the extraction team.

Professor Port had volunteered his grimm studies expertise and Doctor Cobalt had volunteered her superior field dressing knowledge. Oobleck and Mignonette had agreed to tag along as well. Glynda was secretly glad of this, it had taken this many professional huntsmen to take the nirasha down in the past and she couldn't imagine trying to face one with a lesser force now.

"Where is the beacon's signal coming from now?" she asked Oobleck.

The bespectacled doctor scanned his scroll, "The beacon is approximately 1600 meters from us and has stopped moving," he rattled off, lightning fast.

Glynda rolled her eyes; she admired Oobleck as a colleague, but the man spoke far too fast, _Side effect of all the coffee no doubt._ She held her hand out to Oobleck, "May I?"

The doctor nodded and relinquished the scroll to her. Glynda gazed down at the lone red dot steadily blinking on the screen, marking the location of the scroll giving off the distress call. Their centurion-class aircraft, represented by a green dot, grew closer and closer until they were hovering over the red dot. The aircraft slowly descended, landing in the center of the clearing where the signal originated from.

The five teachers leapt out, their eyes scanning the surrounding woods. Glynda's keen eyes soon picked out two slumped forms under a large tree to the west of the clearing. "There!" she said sharply before sprinting over. As she drew closer, the still forms of Ebony Winterhold and Hunter Zant came into view as they lay huddled together at the base of the tree.

Glynda's heart thudded painfully in her chest as she reached them. _Gods, help us not be too late._ she prayed, kneeling down to check Ebony's pulse.

The faunus's eyes snapped open and she slapped Glynda's hand away,

"No! Don't!..." Her eyes focused on the deputy headmistress's face, "Professor? What are you doing here?"

Glynda ignored the fact Ebony had just slapped her and checked Hunter's pulse. "We received a distress call from your team leader. It appears we came just in time."

Ebony grasped Glynda's sleeve furiously, her face twisting with pain as the movement disturbed her injuries, "Please! You have to save Roy and Dahlia! They chased after the grimm!"

The deputy headmistress gripped Ebony's hand, "Tell us where they are, quickly!"

Ebony pointed past the tree they were sitting against. "T-that way. Gods I shouldn't have let him go… please hurry!"

Glynda motioned to Doctor Cobalt, who was already pulling out one of the three first-aid kits they'd brought. "Melody, stay with them. Peter, Lance, and Bartholomew, you're with me." The four of them charged into the woods, keeping their eyes and ears open for any sign of the students or the grimm.

"Look there!" Oobleck hissed, pointing to an out of place patch of green in the snow.

They rushed forward and found Dahlia Shino lying face down in the snow, her arm bent at an odd angle. Glynda's breath caught in her throat as Oobleck knelt down and gently turned her over. Her face was a mass of purple bruises and a wound in her shoulder oozed blood onto the white snow. Oobleck quickly searched for a pulse and a sigh of relief slipped from his lips.

"She's still alive." he said, "I'll stay with her while you go on ahead."

Glynda nodded and the trio of teachers hurried on. The deputy headmistress suddenly spotted a hulking black figure among the trees and veered towards it. As she drew near, she realized that the grimm was standing over Roy with the faunus's weapon raised to deliver a fatal blow. Glynda's jaw tightened as she slashed her crop forward, tearing one of Lance's projectiles from the quiver on his back and sending it hurtling toward the nirasha.

The weapon struck the grimm's head with a sickening crunch and it fell to its knees, a black liquid oozing from its wound. Glynda watched Roy crawl away from the beast on all fours and violently vomit into the snow. She didn't blame him in the slightest; the smell that assaulted her nose as she rushed up caused her to cover her nose and mouth with her sleeve.

"Go!" Glynda ordered, slashing her crop downwards.

A glowing purple circle appeared under the nirasha and purple streaks of light lanced up, wrapping around the grimm and immobilizing it. The beast struggled and writhed, gurgling shrieks emanating from its beak.

"Peter!" Glynda snapped.

"Right!" Port roared as he leapt forward and brought his axe swinging down onto the creature's thick neck.

Once, twice, three times he swung before the nirasha's head finally rolled from its shoulders. Glynda released her semblance, breathing hard and feeling slightly weak in the knees. She watched Lance step forward and plant his foot on the grimm's severed head, pulling his weapon from its skull with a horrible shluck sound.

"Warn me before you do something like that with my weapon again please," he huffed, wiping the spear's leaf shaped blade off on the snow.

Glynda ignored him choosing instead to hurry over to where Roy had crumpled to the snow. She quickly placed one hand over the wound in his side and searched for a pulse with the other, releasing her pent up breath as she felt the gentle throbbing beneath her fingers.

"Lance, could you take over?" she asked the tall blonde teacher.

He nodded and took her place beside Roy, slipping his hand under hers to plug Roy's wound. She quickly dialed Doctor Cobalt on her scroll and waited for her to pick up,

"Yo,"

The younger woman's informal greeting made Glynda roll her eyes, "Melody what's the state of Mr. Zant and Ms. Winterhold?"

Doctor Cobalt hummed thoughtfully to herself over the call, "Well, Mr Zant is in very rough shape. We should get him to a proper medical facility as soon as possible. Ms. Winterhold is in better condition, though not by much; I've reset her leg and made sure she didn't have any immediate life threatening injuries. She keeps saying that there's a little girl in Ulmsted that has to come with us?"

Ebony's voice said something in the background of the call and Cobalt listened for a moment. "Glynda, I'm going to put her on so she can explain it herself."

The deputy headmistress's eyebrows rose ever so slightly, this was a new development to be sure. "I do hope you have a good explanation Ms. Winterhold," she said brusquely, rubbing her temples.

"Professor!? Did you find Roy and Dahlia? How are they?!" Ebony's voice came over the scroll panicked and full of pain from her injuries.

Glynda cleared her throat. "Yes and they're badly wounded," she responded, "Now, please explain about this girl."

Ebony took a moment to calm down before responding weakly. "She's an orphan. Her parents were murdered during our stay and… Well…"

Glynda sighed, "Well what?" she coaxed.

"She's a faunus, professor. The town is extremely hateful toward faunus and it would be dangerous for her to stay. We'd decided to take her with us and find her a family away from here."

Glynda allowed her icy demeanor to thaw slightly and she let out a deep sigh, "Very well, I'll go and fetch her once we have your teammates stable and secure."

Ebony's voice became anxious again, "You said they were badly injured. How bad?"

Glynda mentally reprimanded herself for not being more descriptive of her teammates' conditions. "They are both alive, though far from out of the woods. The sooner we get them out of here, the better. Where is the child now?"

Ebony sighed, "At least they're alive, thank the gods."

Glynda cleared her throat, "Ms. Winterhold…"

"Sorry!" Ebony apologized, "She's in room 103 at the tavern in town."

While they'd been talking, a light rain had started to fall. Glynda gingerly removed her spectacles and wiped them off on the inside of her cape.

"Thank you Ebony," she said, replacing the spectacles on her nose, "Get some rest now; I'll be there in a moment."

She ended the call and turned to address Professor Mignonette, "Has the bleeding stopped?"

Lance shook his head, "Not yet, but I'll bandage the wound up so we can move him. We do have another problem though."

Glynda's brow furrowed, "What now?" she asked, a sharp, irritated edge to her voice betraying her annoyance.

Lance gently applied pressure to Roy's side, causing the faunus to let out a small whimper, "well...his ribs on this side are going squish,"

Glynda blinked, "Squish?" she repeated.

Lance nodded, "if I try to move or lift him, his broken ribs might puncture his internal organs."

Glynda thought for a moment, measuring up the injured faunus lying before her. "What if I used my semblance to even out where he's being lifted from as to not put undue strain on his ribs?"

Lance shrugged, "That could work."

Glynda nodded primly and waited for the professor to wrap the faunus' wound in strong linen bandages. Once he'd finished, she twirled her crop, wrapping Roy in gentle tendrils and lifting him evenly into the air. Flanked by Port and Mignonette, she walked back to where Oobleck sat with Dahlia.

"How is she?" she asked, looking down at the small girl.

Oobleck had removed his coat and placed it under her head, as well as bandaged some of her wounds as best he could.

"She's… stable," he replied, trying and failing to wipe the moisture off of his round glasses.

"Can you lift her Barty?" Port asked.

Oobleck gently slid his arms under Dahlia's small body, "I don't think it will be too difficult." His eyes widened slightly as he noticed Roy gently levitating behind Glynda. "Good heavens! Mr. Arashi certainly has seen better days."

Glynda ignored the comment and continued past her colleague on the way back to the airship.

Dr. Cobalt was still tending her two students under the tree and looked up as they passed her. "Ah, good the big strong men are back! I'll need your help to move…" she stopped talking as she saw Roy and Dahlia, "Gods, they've been through the ringer haven't they."

Ebony let out a gasp as she saw her teammates being carried toward the airship, her eyes welling up with tears.

"There there," Cobalt said, gently patting Ebony's arm, "They'll be right as rain soon enough."

Ebony struggled to keep her emotions in check and avoided Cobalt's eyes. "I know, it just… really hurts to see them like this," she admitted.

Cobalt nodded, "I take it you're the support of the team?"

Ebony nodded, dashing away the tears on her cheeks and Cobalt smiled kindly, "I can tell from the way you look at your injured teammates."

Glynda continued past the two injured students beneath the tree and arrived at the airship. Opening a hatch on the side, she pulled out several folded stretchers. Unfolding two of them, she laid them out inside of the airship and directed the two Professors to deliver their charges onto them. She draped a blanket over Roy, wincing as she watched blood soak through the fabric from his numerous injuries.

She handed another blanket to Oobleck to drape cover Dahlia and handed two other stretchers to the remaining two professors. "Here, take these and get Mr. Zant and Ms. Winterhold secured."

Mignonette threw her a cocky salute, "Yes ma'am!"

Glynda rolled her eyes; that Taiyang was rubbing off on him.

Exiting the airship, Glynda beckoned to Dr. Cobalt.

"Melody, I'm going to fetch the girl from the tavern!" she called.

The younger woman jogged over, pausing a moment to wipe her hands off in the snow, "I'll come with you."

Glynda raised a hand. "Not necessary," she said, "I'm more than capable of fetching a child. Besides, shouldn't you stay with the students?"

Cobalt shrugged, "Not much I can do for them here," she said, "As far as I can tell, they're as stable as they can be. Plus, you're not the best with children; you scare them."

Glynda pursed her lips and glared at the young doctor, "I scare them?" she huffed indignantly.

Cobalt patted her arm, "Oh don't feel too bad, it's what makes you such a great teacher," she said, walking past Glynda toward Ulmsted. "Come on Glynda, the faster we get there, the faster we can leave!"

The deputy headmistress sighed and followed her colleague into the woods.

-:-

15 minutes later, the two women stood outside room 103. Cobalt reached out and unlocked the door with the key Ebony had pressed into her hand. She and Glynda stepped into the room just in time to catch a flurry of movement as a small girl dove under one of the beds. Glynda regarded Cobalt with an incredulous look,

"Yes Melody, I see what you mean; you certainly are superior with children," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh shush," Cobalt chided, glancing around the room, "Looks like Arashi and Winterhold were sharing a room. Should we grab their things?"

Glynda shook her head, "We don't have enough hands to grab all of it, we'll just send someone back for it later."

Cobalt nodded in agreement and got down beside the bed where the girl was hiding. "Hey sweetie, What's your name?" she asked.

No answer.

"Come on sweetie…" Cobalt coaxed, reaching under the bed. A second later she whipped her hand back with a squeak, "Ow! She bit me!"

Glynda pinched the bridge of her nose, "I am truly floored by this display of child interaction."

Cobalt shot Glynda a glare, "At least I'm trying!" she growled.

The deputy headmistress sighed and pulled out her scroll and called Oobleck, "Bartholomew, is Ms. Winterhold still awake?"

A moment of silence passed before the other teacher responded, "Yes, would you like to speak to her?"

Glynda shot a glance at the bed where Cobalt was still attempting (and failing) to retrieve the girl. "Yes, please," she answered.

A few seconds later, Ebony's voice came through the scroll, "Something wrong professor?"

Glynda rubbed her temple as Cobalt squeaked again, signaling that another bite had occurred. "Ms. Winterhold, we're here at the inn but the girl has hidden herself under the bed and refuses to come out."

Ebony let out a pained chuckle, "Yeah, she can be like that. Could you please give her your scroll?"

Glynda obliged, gently sliding the device under the bed.

"Sadie, Sweetie…" Ebony's voice was muffled by the bed clothes as she spoke. "The people there right now are Glynda and Melody. They're my friends."

Glynda bristled slightly at the informal description.

"They are going to bring you to where we are..." Ebony's voice faltered, growing fainter as fatigue and pain from her wounds sapped her strength,"Don't worry Sadie, Everything will...be…"

Ebony's voice fell silent and the next thing Glynda knew, the girl had shot from under the bed into Cobalt's arms.

"Woah! Out you come little one!" the doctor exclaimed, "You certainly are the cutest thing."

Sadie extracted herself from Cobalt's grip and furiously tugged her toward the door.

"I think she wants Ms. Winterhold," Glynda said, raising an eyebrow as she gently took the scroll away from the girl.

Cobalt allowed herself to be pulled toward the door, "I think so too…" she began, pausing at the door to wait for Glynda, "But...do you think it wise for her to see them all torn up?"

Glynda's hard expression softened ever so slightly. "I think that she should see the price of her safety," the deputy headmistress said gently, "blood is the price of peace...it always has been and she needs to learn it young."

Cobalt nodded gravely and picked Sadie up, "Come on little one, let's go meet your heroes."

-:-

As Cobalt, Glynda and Sadie neared the airship, Port stepped forward to greet them, "Ah, the Ladies have returned! We were worried we would have to leave without you."

Cobalt chuckled at the jest, but Glynda remained as cold as the surrounding snow.

"How are the students?" she asked brusquely.

Port's smile faltered slightly, "They are all sedated. Well, almost all. Mr. Arashi has been refusing to be put under until he made sure the girl was safe."

Glynda sighed, Stubborn boy. she thought as she and Cobalt stepped into the main hold of the ship.

The four members of Team SHDE were laid out, side-by-side near the back of the main hold. Roy was closest to the door, moving listlessly under the blanket as the pain from his wounds drew quiet sounds of discomfort through his clenched teeth.

Sadie furiously squirmed out of Cobalt's arms and raced to Roy's side, dropping to her hands and knees next to him. Roy's good eye cracked open, allowing glistening royal blue to stare into her cobalt blue. Slowly, the faunus' hand reached up and gently stroked Sadie's hair. The tiny girl grasped his hand and smiled softly at him, tears glistening in her eyes.

Roy whispered something to her and allowed his arm to fall back onto the stretcher with a muffled thump. Sadie curled up next to him and cuddled his arm, shooting a challenging look at the teachers as if daring them to move her. Melody walked over and sat down on Roy's other side. She adjusted her round glasses as she inspected him and gave a small 'hmph'

"His eyepatch is soaked," she mused, "We should take it off."

She gently turned Roy's head to the side and undid the buckle at the back of the eyepatch. "I should ask him where he got it," she muttered as she gripped the worn leather to pull it off, "It's one of the nicer-"

Roy's hand flashed up and caught her wrist, causing Melody to squeak in surprise. "Oh! Roy, please. Your eyepatch is soaked and you really should take it off."

Roy held the doctor's gaze for a few seconds before releasing her hand and allowing her to pull the patch the rest of the way off. Glynda leaned in to get a better look. Despite herself, she had to admit she was terribly curious as to what lay underneath the faunus' eyepatch.

Roy's eyelid was closed, hiding the sightless eye from the world. Three scars carved their way from just beneath his hairline, down through his eye, and ending in the middle of his cheek.

Melody gave a slight whistle, "Wow, that must've hurt like a bitch."

Glynda hummed thoughtfully, "Any idea what might have caused such a wound?"

The doctor chewed her lip as she thought, "Well, a good number of things. My bet would be on a dust explosion."

The deputy headmistress raised an eyebrow at her colleague, "What makes you say that?"

Melody pointed at the largest of the three scars, "if you look closely, you can see tiny glowing particles still ingrained in the tissue."

She sighed and reached into her pocket, retrieving a small syringe containing a red liquid sedative, "I'm going to put you out Roy, is that okay?"

Roy nodded and laid his head back on the pillow as Melody administered the sedative. As the young faunus' eye fell closed, Glynda felt the ship's engine rumble to life and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Um...Glynda?"

She turned to face Cobalt, "Yes Melody?"

The doctor moved over and settled down next to Sadie, looking down at the small girl lovingly. "Are there any regulations that say teachers can't adopt wards of the school?"

Glynda shook her head, "Not that I recall. Do you have a candidate in mind?"

Cobalt fidgeted slightly, gently taking some of Sadie's hair in her fingers, "Well… me."

Glynda raised an eyebrow, "You?"

Cobalt nodded and removed her glasses, gently stroking Sadie's hair with her free hand, "It's just that… Me and my wife would really love to raise a child. This girl has been through so much and we'd be more than willing to give her a good home."

Glynda straightened her spectacles, "As long as we follow the proper procedures, I don't see why not. We'll need to confirm that there aren't any next of kin that can take her. But if no one steps forward then it should be fine."

Cobalt's eyes lit up and she sprang up, throwing her arms around the deputy headmistress's neck. "Oh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Glynda stiffened and stubbornly kept her hands by her side. "Ahem, Melody…" she said peevishly.

Cobalt released her and sat down beside Sadie once more. "Right! Sorry," she apologized. She looked over the injured students, all slumbering fitfully in the grip of the sedative. "She seems very attached to these four, that makes me one of the better options."

Glynda also allowed her gaze to travel over Team SHDE, "How so?" she asked.

Cobalt grinned, "She can still see them on bring-your-daughter-to-work-day."

Glynda grinned ever so slightly at the confidant declaration, "True."

Her face reverted back to her normal frosty demeanor, _If they live that long._

These weren't fully fledged huntsmen and huntresses, they were still children with fledgling auras not used to this kind of abuse. They were all in the red zone; the period of time when the aura hadn't had recovered enough to heal. At this point it was up to the kids to fight and stay alive until their auras reactivated.

Glynda's brow furrowed as she looked out of one of the airship's viewports at the rapidly retreating town of Ulmsted. What had happened here? She certainly hoped team SHDE would have the answer when they awoke.

A couple of moments later, the airship rose up into a cloud bank and obscured the town from view. Rain lashed at the windshield of the ship and made a dull clattering sound on the roof as they left Ulmsted and the rolling waves of Loch Warren behind.

**This was a chapter I had a bunch of fun writing. I had several canon professors, plus two of my own that I've made. I especially proud of Melody Cobalt. She's very fun to write XD.**

**We've only got a couple of chapters left and I'm glad you've stuck around this long!**

**Until next we meet,**

**-Ar3mRising.**


	19. Chapter 18: Reaching The End

Roy's consciousness flickered to life, floating in an inky black morass. He felt strangely disconnected from his own body, but could tell he was somewhere warm. Suddenly, a light split the darkness and Roy felt himself pulled towards it. His eye cracked open and immediately began to water from the pink light of late evening shining through Beacon's infirmary windows.

Roy tried to raise his hand to wipe the moisture that was partially blinding him away, but a painful tug on his forearm caused him to look down at the offending limb. An IV tube was inserted into his arm just above the wrist, allowing a steady drip of clear liquid aura enhancer from a plastic bag hanging next to the bed. Roy's body was haloed in a soft blue glow as the enhancer did its job, mending wounds in days that would leave a normal person bed ridden for weeks. Turning his head to the right and squinting through the tears, Roy could somewhat see his teammates laid out in a similar manner in the neighboring beds.

Ebony, marked by her flowing black hair, was in the bed directly beside him. Hunter, with his reddish brown mop in the third bed and Dahlia's dirty blonde locks were in the fourth. Hunter appeared to still be in the worst shape, an oxygen mask still in place over his nose and mouth.

Roy tried to slide himself farther up in the bed, ignoring the stabbing pains in his side. He raised his non IV arm and finally cleared the moisture from his eye. It was then that he discovered how swollen his face was. The cheek on his blind side was swollen and purple wrapped in several layers of bandages. He gingerly touched the swelling, wincing as a jolt of pain ran through his cheek. Deciding to leave it alone, he turned his attention to his IV hand and found his hand completely swathed in bandages.

_Oh...right,_ he thought, _I burned my hand pushing Black Orchid's flame channeling capabilities._

He flexed his hand, sucking in his breath as his hand zinged horribly. The door to the infirmary opened and Roy looked up to see professor Ozpin enter the room, cane in hand.

"Ah, you've awakened. Good," the headmaster said, smiling.

The smile didn't mask the grave look in his eyes, nor the slightly sad air that followed him.

Roy propped himself up on the pillows and attempted to speak, his hand flying to his cheek as a jolt of pain ran through his jaw.

"I wouldn't try to speak yet," Ozpin said, taking a seat in a chair beside the bed. "Your cheek is fractured and your aura is still recovering. You and your team were gravely injured by that grimm." The headmaster withdrew a scroll from his coat pocket and slid it open, calling up several pictures of the Calamity's corpse, "Your team did very well against the nirasha. Few have seen one, let alone survived to tell the tale. I daresay Professor Port may pester you quite a bit for details."

Roy nodded gently, careful not to jar his broken ribs.

"When you're suitably recovered, I would be interested to hear a full recounting of what happened during the course of your away mission," Ozpin continued, his face growing sad as he closed the scroll. "This was not how your first away mission was supposed to go," he said gravely, "but take this as a valuable lesson of how unpredictable working in the field can be. Your team was put in a horrible position and while you didn't emerge unscathed, you did get out alive."

A small cough came from Roy's right and he gingerly turned his head to see Dahlia gazing at them with half lidded eyes.

"Does this mean w-we all get A's?" she asked, her voice rasping slightly from fatigue.

Ozpin smiled and arose from his chair, "After the true events have come to light and your team has recovered sufficiently. Then we can speak of grades."

Dahlia's bruised face twisted in a slight pout, but she nodded nonetheless.

Roy tried to muster a smile, but the pain in his cheek caused the grin to twist into a grimace.

Ozpin gently patted Roy's leg, "I'll leave you to your recovery, I look forward to hearing the whole story." The headmaster walked to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob, "Oh I almost forgot, we've found young Sadie a home with professor Cobalt. Last I checked, she was being spoiled rotten"

Ozpin turned and left the room, a quiet chuckle drifting back through the doors as they shut. Roy settled back against the pillows, feeling the cool fabric of the pillowcase against the back of his feline ears. He was glad that Sadie had found a home, a good one from the sound of it. Roy felt his eyelids grow heavy once more.

The wound in his side from the Calamity's spike felt better, if oddly warm as his aura worked to mend it. His burned hand throbbed under the heavy bandages and he made another mental note to fix Black Orchid as soon as he was able. Unable to stave off the fatigue any longer, Roy closed his eye and dropped back into a fitful sleep

-:-

Recovery was a long and difficult road for Team SHDE due to the plethora of broken bones, cuts, bruises and internal injuries their auras had to mend. Dahlia was the first team member out of bed and spent her time patiently waiting by Hunter's bedside until he finally woke up. The larger boy's injuries had been the most severe and he was the last one to get back on his feet.

Roy didn't wait until he was fully recovered before getting out of bed, choosing instead to leave the infirmary as soon as he could stand without falling. He retreated into a solitary corner of the weapons workshop, throwing himself into perfecting Black Orchid's dust channeling mechanisms. In truth, this was simply an excuse for Roy to be away from his team. Ever since he woke up, feelings of guilt had slowly begun to consume him. Fighting the nirasha had been his decision, his order to his team and they'd nearly died because of it.

His conscience tried to tell him that he'd made the right decision, he'd saved lives by making the sacrifice play. For a moment or two he would listen, but then the memories of how much his team had suffered would come rushing back and snuff out the voice of reason. Roy stayed isolated in the workshop, leaving his scroll and teammates behind.

Eventually, he even began sleeping there as to avoid his team altogether; that is if you could call it sleeping. Every night, his dreams were filled with the faces of the dead. The Haribels, Corvatts, Momo, Umber. They all haunted his nightmares and he was lucky if he got even a single hour of sleep.

It didn't take long for Ebony to figure out where he was and she began to come to the workshop once a day, knocking three times on the door. At first, Roy refused to respond, but her insistence finally got to him and he replied with three knocks of his own.

They continued with this simple exchange until the second Saturday after they'd returned. Roy was aimlessly fiddling with a spare part in his corner when he heard the door lock click as someone used their scroll to gain entry. His ears drooped in shame as he turned to see Ebony and Hunter walking toward him.

"Guys...I don…" he began but Ebony held up her hand, "Roy, before you say anything, let us say our peace."

Roy sighed and leaned against the workbench, his hand clenching around the spare part tightly.

Ebony took a deep breath and began to speak. "When you first isolated yourself, I held my tongue. I knew you had things to deal with, we all did. I thought you would come around after a while, but a week has passed and you're no better than you were. No, you're worse. You don't sleep, you don't eat…"

Roy opened his mouth to argue, but Hunter cut him off, "Water and trail mix doesn't count bro."

Roy sighed and gestured for Ebony to continue,

"Please Roy, come get some fresh air and something to eat with us," she implored.

Roy staunchly avoided making eye contact with either of them while he formulated his refusal. Ebony's cool hand gently gripped his chin and turned his blue eyed gaze back towards her.

"Just one hour, that's all I ask," she said softly.

Roy leaned into Ebony's touch, realizing just how much he'd missed her. He nodded, reluctantly allowing Ebony to gently take his hand and lead him from the workshop into the open air. It was just past midday and the sun had just drifted past its zenith to begin its slow descent into the west. A cool breeze was blowing from the north and the few puffy clouds drifted lazily across the still blue sky.

The school grounds were as green as ever, the grey stone paths and pale buildings contrasting the green nicely. Across the commons, the windows of the cafeteria reflected the deep azure sky as the door of the building opened and Dahlia came wandering out. Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of her teammates.

"Hey guys!" she cried as she jogged over, a wrapped sandwich in one hand and a bottle of milk in the other. "Wow, I didn't think you were going to get him to come out!" she exclaimed, handing the sandwich and milk to Roy.

Her playful smirk softened into caring smile and she patted his arm, "We've missed having you around."

Roy allowed a small smile to play over his lips at the kind gesture and murmured a soft "Thanks" in return.

Ebony smiled too, "Let's go find somewhere to sit," she suggested.

The others nodded and followed her to the backside of the school where several white marble benches looked out over the surrounding woodlands. Roy sat and unwrapped the sandwich, sinking his teeth into the soft bread. He allowed a sigh of contentment to leave him; after days of eating nothing but old trail mix and water from the drinking fountains around campus, the sandwich tasted like heaven.

He set the sandwich down just long enough to grab the bottle of milk. The cool glass bottle felt soothing to his hand and the cap came free with a satisfying pop. Taking a deep drink, he drained half the bottle in one go. His team sat in silence, waiting until Roy had finished his meal before speaking.

"So," Ebony began, "do you want to tell us why you've kept yourself so isolated this past week?"

Roy sighed and set the empty milk bottle down with a soft clink, "Not really."

Ebony frowned and gently took Roy's hand, "I think you should talk about it," she said gently.

Roy avoided eye contact, choosing instead to focus on the view. Ebony sighed and tapped him on the shoulder, "There's someone who wanted to see you today…"

Roy's keen ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps and he turned to see Sadie standing behind him, clad in a little black dress. Her eyes were gleaming and her face lit up with a smile.

Roy got up from the bench and walked around it to face the tiny girl. He knelt and held his hand out to her. She moved forward, ignoring the hand altogether, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Roy stiffened for a moment, but eventually allowed his arms to gently encircle the small faunus.

A prim cough caused Roy to look up to see Professor Cobalt standing a short distance away, Professor Goodwitch standing beside her as prim and proper as ever. "I thought Sadie would like to see you again." Cobalt said, gesturing to the small girl in Roy's arms, "But whenever I brought her around, you were nowhere to be seen Arashi. I needed advice! She's clawing all of my furniture!"

Roy looked at the ground and mumbled an apology. Glynda straightened her spectacles, the brass frames flashing in the sun. "Would now be a bad time to have you accompany me to my office Mr. Arashi?" she asked.

Roy released Sadie and stood, straightening his school uniform. "No, I'll come" he said, "Will Professor Ozpin be joining us?"

Glynda nodded, "He will. Come along," she said, turning with a flick of her cape, beckoning Roy to follow.

The two of them made their way to Glynda's office, walking through the cool uniform corridors and hallways of the school. Ere long, the black wood doors and shiny metallic nameplate of Glynda's office came into view. The normally pristine nameplate was stained in places from brown splotches that peppered its surface and Roy could've sworn he heard Glynda growl at the sight of them.

Opening the door, Glynda motioned for Roy to enter, following through after him and shutting the door with a soft click. Ozpin was standing behind Glynda's desk, his cane leaning against the beautifully crafted rosewood furniture. He held an old leather book in his hand and was smiling fondly at the contents of one of its pages.

"Mr Arashi," the headmaster greeted Roy, shutting the book with a gentle *snap* "All recovered I hope?"

Roy nodded, coming to a halt in front of the desk, "Very nearly sir. I assume you want to hear everything that happened during my team's time in Olmsted?"

Ozpin set the book on the desk and sat in Glynda's chair, gesturing for Roy to take a seat in the adjacent chair. "You assume correctly. The real question is; are you ready to tell us?"

Roy took a deep breath, his hand gripping the chair arm tightly and nodded, "I am."

Ozpin laced his fingers together and stared fixedly over his spectacles at Roy, smiling warmly, "Splendid, you may begin when ready."

Roy cleared his throat, steeled his nerve, and launched into the narrative. He spared no detail, withheld no piece of the narrative no matter how horrifying. When he had to recount Momo's death, a lump appeared in his throat and he had to fight to keep his voice steady. The old wound being reopened became too much and his voice finally broke, his cheek becoming wet with tears.

He took a moment to compose himself, wiping away the wetness on his cheek with the heel of his hand. After taking several calming breaths, Roy resumed the narrative.

Ozpin stayed silent throughout the narrative, the only thing betraying how he felt being his eyes. They hardened when Roy told him about finding the Harabel's bodies and softened as he struggled to keep his composure talking about Momo's demise. When Roy reached team SHDE's stand against the nirasha, Ozpin's eyes gleamed with a triumphant light.

By the time Roy had finished the story, the afternoon light had been replaced by the pink light of late evening. Silence permeated Professor Goodwitch's office after Roy stopped talking. Over the course of the story, Glynda had settled in one of the wooden chairs around the room and Ozpin had risen from his chair, turning to look out of the arching window behind the desk.

The headmaster sighed, "A truly trying ordeal." he said, turning to face Roy once more, "I commend you for coming out of it alive."

Roy nodded, his gaze trained on the intricately patterned carpet between his shoes. "Professor Ozpin?" he began tentatively, "I would like to resign as leader of team SHDE."

Ozpin blinked in surprise, "Whatever for?" he asked.

Roy gripped the arm of his chair until his knuckles turned white. "Throughout the mission, I made questionable decisions and let my temper get the best of me. But worst of all, I lead my team into a fight I knew we couldn't win. I almost got my entire team killed."

Ozpin was silent for a few moments, then stood and walked around the desk to stand in front of Roy. "Mr. Arashi, I'd like to show you something…"

The headmaster picked up the leather book from where it lay on the desk and opened it, handing it to Roy.

Roy scanned the book and his eyes widened as he saw its contents; every page was full of photos of what was undeniably Beacon's faculty in their younger days. A significantly thinner Port with his arm around a glasses free Oobleck smiled back at him next to a picture of a younger Glynda, minus her spectacles and clad in a Beacon Academy uniform.

"I don't understand," Roy said, looking up from the captivating images.

Ozpin smiled gently and gestured to the books contents, "The point I'm trying to make, Mr Arashi, is that you are still a young man, you're bound to make a few more mistakes because of this."

"But sir!" Roy argued, shutting the book and setting it on his chair, "People were hurt because of my mistakes, how is that acceptable?"

Ozpin placed a hand on Roy's shoulder, "Roy, do you know how many people live in Ulmsted?"

Roy shook his head.

"2,500 give or take," Ozpin continued, "You may not have made the best decision regarding the lives of your teammates, but you made the best decision that saved the most lives." The headmaster offered Roy a sad smile, "Spoiler alert, but this job will be full of decisions like that. The fact that you made the decision at all speaks volumes of your potential to be a truly great huntsman. I believe you are right where you need to be."

Roy looked into Ozpin's kind hazel eyes and the icy wall of self doubt began to melt.

"Thank you professor." he murmured.

Ozpin nodded, giving Roy's shoulder a light squeeze before releasing him. "Your welcome, now go and be with your team. No more shutting yourself in the weapons workshop."

Roy nodded back, "Yes sir." Turning, he walked toward the door.

As he passed Glynda, she offered Roy a curt nod. "You've done well Roy." she said quietly, opening the door for him.

Roy dipped his head in thanks and passed through the door, coming face to face with his team. "What are you guys doing here?" he asked.

Ebony seemed to be shaking slightly, as she replied, "We came here to wait for you...you…" She suddenly launched a blow at him, causing him to backpedal away from her.

"How could you?!" she cried, pointing an accusing finger at him, "How could you try and resign? Without even discussing the matter with your team?"

Roy raised his hands defensively, "I thought you'd try and stop me…."

"Damn straight we would!" Dahlia exclaimed. "As if we'd want anyone else as out team leader!"

Ebony stalked forward until she was standing practically nose to nose with him. "Do you honestly blame yourself for what happened to us so much?" she asked, "We could've said no, we could have hidden somewhere instead. But we chose to go along with your decision because it was the best one we had to protect the town."

"I know that!" Roy exclaimed.

"I'm glad!" Ebony cried, "Maybe now you can stop being such a gods damned HERMIT!"

Roy and Dahlia's jaws dropped and even Hunter raised an eyebrow at the outburst.

"Ebony…" Roy began but Ebony cut him off with a raised hand, "I'm sorry; I understand why you isolated yourself. But we went through the same thing Roy. I needed you, and you weren't there for me!"

Roy's ears drooped in shame and he offered her his hand.

"You're right," he began, "I should've been there for you." He turned to Dahlia and Hunter, "for all of you and I can't say how sorry I am. Please let me make it up to you now."

Ebony looked as though she wanted to stay mad at him. But after a few seconds of conflicted glaring, she accepted his hand with a sigh. "You're an idiot," she said, "We don't want you to make it up to us. We just want you with us."

Roy nodded, squeezing Ebony's hand tightly, "Consider it done."

Turning, he led his team out of the school building into the cool evening air. His ears stood at attention allowing the cool breeze to gently caress them. Ebony moved past him, her tail waving lazily from side to side as she walked.

"You know that little soda fountain in Vale?" she asked.

"Yeah?" Roy replied.

Ebony turned and winked at him, "Let's all go get something, my treat."

Dahlia pumped her fist, "Heck yeah! I'll go see if Sadie wants to come!"

She dashed off towards where they'd left Sadie with Hunter in tow. Ebony watched them go, then turned back to Roy,

"What do you think?" she asked.

Roy reached out and grasped her hand once more, "I think that sounds surprisingly sensible."

Ebony tutted, squeezing his hand reproachfully, "Glad to see the mission didn't make you any less of a smart ass," she said, rolling her eyes.

Roy's face broke into a smile, "Lucky you," he said.

Ebony's face softened. "Yeah…" she whispered, "Lucky me."

**One more chapter to go! This story was a fun little experiment for me, I wrote it from beginning to end in a series of little writing journals and I think it came out quite nicely. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.**

**This will be the last story that takes place before RWBY vol. 3. Tales of Remnant: Fall will cover Volumes 6, 7 and into the foreseeable**

**future. I hope you guys will stick around and accompany me on this journey.****Until next we meet,**

**-Ar3mRising. **


	20. Epilogue

Roy and his mother sat on the front porch of the house as Roy finished his story. The narrative had lasted all through supper, going on into the night as they cleaned and put away the dishes. The sun had vanished behind the surrounding hills a while ago, leaving behind a midnight blue sky full of twinkling stars. Roy leaned back in the wicker chair, slightly winded from telling the almost two and a half hour story, "And that's all of it."

Sharon watched her son with concern in her eyes. "That was quite a story," she said, reaching out to grasp his hand, "I'm sorry you had to go through it all alone."

Roy gripped her hand back and smiled at her, "I wasn't alone, I had my team with me."

Sharon squeezed his hand, "I meant without me."

Roy stared into her eyes, whose hue were identical to his own, "You're here now, that's all that matters."

Sharon smiled, gently caressing his hand with her thumb, "Do you think I'll ever get to meet your team?"

Roy's smile faltered, and he looked up at the starry sky, the shiny fragments of the moon casting a pale blue light on his upturned face, "I don't know. I know you'll meet Ebony someday, but Hunter is back in Atlas and Dahlia was in a coma when I left."

Sharon nodded, "I remember you mentioning that. I pray she wakes up soon."

Roy coughed roughly and released his mother's hand, "I do too, every day."

The two of them lapsed into silence, content to watch the stars. The night air was cool as a slight breeze blew past the porch. The crickets were in full voice and filled the air with their shrill song. Above them, Remnant's fractured moon gleamed brightly and cast a soft light on the surrounding woods.

"You know what scared me most during the away mission?" Roy asked.

Sharon looked over at her son, "What?"

Roy stood and leaned on the porch railing, his ears swiveling to and fro as he took in the night sounds, "It wasn't the hate… I've experienced hate before and in some horrible way, I've become used to it. It wasn't the grimm… or even the thought of my own death." He took a deep breath before continuing, "What scared me the most; was the thought of failing my team. I almost did then and I definitely have now." His voice shook and he gripped the railing so hard it creaked.

Sharon arose and gripped his shoulder, turning him to face her, "From what I heard, your team never blamed you for that and if you asked them now, I doubt they would blame you for their injuries at the hands of Adam Taurus." She pulled him into a hug, "You are a huntsman, and you thought like a huntsman. You have nothing to be ashamed of,"

Roy sighed, burying his face in his mother's shoulder, "I can't believe it still affects me this much, even after all this time."

Sharon gently stroked his ears, eliciting a quiet purr from him, "Life has a way of keeping things with us, the good and the bad. It's up to us to decide what we do with what we retain."

Roy would've liked to stay in his mother's comforting embrace, but the chirp of his scroll caused him to pull away and check the time, "Woof, it's already midnight."

Sharon looked up at the broken moon, her slit pupils contracting slightly to accommodate the moonlight. "We should get some sleep. I plan to send you to the city tomorrow for a supply run."

Roy started to protest but his mother flicked his ear gently, "Ah! No arguments from you mister. It's about time you get back out there and live life again."

Roy rolled his eye with a sigh, he knew better than to argue. "Yes Ma'am," he said, turning and retreating into the house without another word.

Fifteen minutes later, Roy opened the door to his room and stepped inside. He was now wearing his night clothes and his face was pink from where he'd scrubbed his face with a washcloth. Rather than shower, he had instead soaked his head underneath the faucet in the bathtub. Water dripped from his hair, creating damp spots on the gray t-shirt he was wearing. Grabbing a towel from his drawer, he gently dried his cat ears and hair. After he finished, he wadded up the now damp towel and tossed it into the hamper.

Reaching up behind his head, Roy gently unbuckled the strap to his eyepatch and slid the worn leather from his face. He set the patch on his nightstand and got into bed, laying his head on the soft pillow with a content sigh. Reaching out, Roy felt his hand bump lightly against Μόνος' handle, confirming that his weapon was still in easy reach. Clasping his fingers around Μόνος' leather wrapped hilt, Roy closed his eyes and gently passed into the realm of dreams…

The air was deathly still… no sound except for the waves lapping at the shore. Roy's eye snapped open and he found himself standing on the banks of Loch Warren. Everything was cast in monochrome, the water appearing a sickly gray in comparison to its usual blue gray. A bolt of panic ran through him,

_Please, _he begged silently, _not another nightmare; I've had enough._

The sound of waves became overpowering, stifling his senses and nearly deafening him. He sank to his knees, his hands clutching his ears. Suddenly, the cacophony ceased and a different sound caused him to perk his cat ears up. A melody, slow and beautiful, drifted over the wind to him and, try as he might he couldn't locate the source of it. The melody became a voice and Roy listened to the words as the song began.

_In a land far away,_

_In a valley there lay._

_A town that was bound in the ice and the snow._

_The nights are dark,_

_The days ever cold._

_O come hear the wind whisper stories of old._

_An evil had come_

_To the valley to stay,_

_And all of the townsfolk begged for the day_

_When the hero of old once foretold would arrive_

_The nights are dark,_

_The days ever cold._

_O come hear the wind whisper stories of old._

_The hero he came,_

_More beast than a man._

_With a sword by his side, his mind set on a plan_

_To vanquish the beast and bring peace once again._

_The nights are dark,__The days ever cold.  
O come hear the wind whisper stories of old.  
_

As the song went on, the colors started to flood back into the surrounding landscape. The gray of the sky became blue again and the white lights of the town across the loch faded to orange once more.

_The battle it raged _

_And it stretched on for hours._

_And drops of blood flew like the petals of flowers.  
But the hero and beast both stubbornly refused to die._

_The nights are dark,_

_The days ever cold._

_O come hear the wind whisper stories of old._

_With a horrible shriek,_

_The beast finally fell dead _

_And the hero, now weak, _

_Laid down his fair head._

_The cost of the victory; the price was his life._

_With a smile on his face, _

_His eyes slowly grew dim,  
For the hero in slaying the terrible grimm.  
Had given away all he had to give._

_The nights are dark,_

_The days ever cold._

_O come hear the wind whisper stories of old. _

_The hero that saved us,  
Has been dead for years.  
But the stories we tell of him._

_Soothe all our fears.  
For it is in stories, that heroes truly live on._

The voice drew steadily nearer and Roy found his gaze being pulled to the surface of the loch. As the last bars of the song were being sung, he felt a light touch on his cat ears. He shivered,

_Odd, _he thought, _That felt just like when…_

He spun around, scanning the woods behind him, "Momo?!" His voice echoed through the trees.

The loch suddenly became illuminated in a brilliant golden light. Roy looked down into the water again and what he saw took his breath away. Momo was standing next to him in the reflection, regarding him with an almost coy smile. She looked so vibrant and real that he checked the bank beside him just make sure she wasn't actually standing beside him.

Seeing nothing, he turned his attention back to the reflection. "Momo… I'm so sorry..." he began, but the barmaid raised her hand, "Stop right there. I'm not haunting you, silly. I just had a song that I needed to sing to you."

Roy's eye widened as he realized that the melody on the wind had indeed been the song Momo had been humming all those summers ago. "Do you regret saving me?" he asked softly.

The barmaid smiled warmly at him, "Not one bit. I knew what I was doing then and I don't regret it now. I mean, look at the fine person you've grown into!"

Roy laughed and found himself blinking away tears. "What's the afterlife like?" he joked, scrubbing his hand across his eyes.

Momo laughed, "Not bad, I can't complain."

Her eyes drifted to somewhere past Roy and she sighed. "I need to go. You probably won't see me again until...Well, you know."

Roy nodded, hiding his sadness at having to bid the barmaid farewell again. "Just… " he began, "Save a spot for me okay?"

Momo smiled, "Will do. Oh, and Roy?"

Roy twiddled his ears at the barmaid, "Yeah?"

Momo gently faded away, her voice reaching Roy's ears one final time,"Go and have a great life."

Roy sat down on the shore and looked out over the gently rolling surf at the town of Ulmsted. Boats where embarking on the morning's fishing trips and the gentle clamor of voices could be heard coming from the market by the docks. From the church building, the bell gently rang, announcing the coming of a new day. Roy looked up into the sky at the blue sky and watched the wispy clouds move gently towards the west.

_Don't worry Momo, I will, _He thought, settling back to enjoy the best dream he'd had in years.

_FIN_

**"****This story is dedicated to Monty, Miles, Kerry and all of the wonderful people who work on RWBY. You guys inspire me so much! God bless you."**

**And with that, we've come to the end. **

**This story is very special to me in that it was proof that I wasn't just a one trick wonder. That after TOR: Spring I would be able to continue. As funny as it sounds, I have a massive fear of burning out and being unable to finish my narrative. I know how Team SHDE's story starts and I know how it ends. The hard part is just getting there. I hope all of you will come along with me on the journey. As always I'd like to thank Austin: my dedicated editor, Rachel: my girlfriend and confidant. Monty, Miles, Kerry and Rooster Teeth for giving us RWBY. And lastly all of the readers who are here reading my stories. **

**I hope you enjoyed it. **

**Until next we meet, **

**-Ar3mRising.**


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